A 30-year-old youth from Srinagar’s Sehyar Ali Kadal died under mysterious circumstances in New Delhi on Monday, sparking concern and outrage from his family, who allege he was attacked by unidentified persons.
The deceased has been identified as Zubair Ahmed Bhat, a resident of downtown Srinagar, who frequently travelled to the national capital for work-related purposes.
According to a local official, Zubair’s body was flown to Srinagar this morning. “As per the preliminary information from Delhi Police, they received a call from a member of the public stating that a youth was seen hitting his head in a public park. Police responded quickly and shifted him to the hospital,” the official said. “Inquest proceedings are ongoing and a postmortem has already been conducted.”
However, Zubair’s family strongly disputes the official version. “We lost contact with him after 4 PM on Monday,” a family member told reporters. “Later, we were informed that he had died. We believe he was assaulted.”
The family claims to possess screenshots of messages and chats suggesting that Zubair had been beaten in the locality where he was staying in Delhi. “He had suffered from migraines in the past, but he had recovered. There was no sign of any health issue recently,” they added.
“We urge the authorities to conduct a fair and transparent investigation and bring those responsible to justice,” the family said.
The official in Srinagar stated that local police are in touch with Delhi Police and have assured the family of full cooperation. “If the family has any doubts or concerns, we’ve asked them to reach out to the police station or call anytime,” the official added.
