A 21-year-old tribal youth named Mohammad Parvez was shot dead during a police operation in Sure Chak area of Jammu on Wednesday. His death has led to widespread protests and questions about police action. While police claim he was involved in drug peddling, his family says he was innocent and was killed in a “fake encounter”.
Parvez, who lived in Javed Nagar, Nikki Tawi, was injured during a raid by police and later died at Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu. Police said they were chasing suspected drug dealers when they came under attack. They claimed to have recovered a heroin-like substance from Parvez and said his associate managed to escape.
However, Parvez’s family strongly denied the police version. They staged a protest outside the hospital, saying he had no criminal record and was wrongly killed.
One of his brothers said, “My brother was not a criminal. He had no past record. He was murdered by the police. Even if they believed he was involved, they could have arrested him instead of killing him.”
Another family member said Parvez had gone out to buy medicine with his brother-in-law when they were approached by men in civil clothes.
“They thought the men were vigilantes and tried to run. That’s when Parvez was shot,” he said.
A senior doctor at GMC Jammu told The Wire that Parvez was brought dead to the hospital.
Political leaders have also reacted strongly.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on X, “The killing of Mohd Parvez is deeply regrettable. Police use of force must be controlled and careful. Jammu and Kashmir has suffered a lot from such incidents in the past. This must be investigated fairly and quickly.”
Mehbooba Mufti, a former Chief Minister, wrote, “Even if Parvez was a drug dealer, we are a democracy where justice must be done through courts, not by police acting like judge and executioner. We cannot allow a culture of fake encounters.”
Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Doda, Mehraj Malik, said it was a “cold-blooded killing.”
In a post on X, he wrote, “Fake Encounter by J&K Police. Even if he was a smuggler, who gave police the right to kill? Are we living in a country where bullets replace trials?”
Tribal activist Talib Hussain also questioned the police’s claim.
“There was no FIR against Parvez. Gujjars are being targeted in the name of drugs and cattle smuggling. If he was guilty, he should have been booked. But killing him like this is wrong,” he said.
He also alleged that a senior BJP leader might be involved in pressuring the police.
Despite police saying an investigation is ongoing, the family had refused to take Parvez’s body until Thursday night.
Heavy police and paramilitary forces were deployed around the hospital to prevent any violence.
Parvez had recently gotten married and was the youngest among twelve siblings.
