Latest news with #Gujjar-Bakerwal
Hindustan Times
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
PDP chief demands probe into Gujjar youth's killing, alleges targeted violence
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday visited the family of 21-year-old Parvez Ahmed, a Gujjar youth allegedly killed on July 24 in Surey Chak, Jammu. Condemning the incident as a 'cold-blooded murder,' she dismissed police claims of Parvez's involvement in drug peddling and called it a 'fake encounter.' PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti (File) 'Such extra-judicial killings have no place in a democracy. This is state-sponsored terror targeting Gujjar-Bakerwal communities,' Mufti said, demanding a time-bound judicial probe. Mufti highlighted a disturbing pattern of violence against Gujjar-Bakerwals in 2024-25. Citing cases of alleged custodial deaths, staged encounters, and disappearances—including that of Makhan Din in Kathua, three youths in Kulgam, and Imtiyaz Magray in Kulgam—she said the community is being systematically harassed. She also mentioned the recent disappearance of Manzoor Ahmad from Kishtawar and a missing tribal student, Muddasir Dhakad, from Kulgam. Thousands from the community have reportedly been detained during seasonal migrations without charges. Mufti warned that such brutality deepens alienation. 'The Gujjar-Bakerwals, once pillars of support for the region, are now treated as disposable,' she said, adding that incidents like the 2018 Kathua rape-murder still haunt the community. She assured the family of Parvez of her party's full support in the fight for justice.
The Hindu
31-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Gujar youth was killed in cold blood: Mehbooba
Former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday (July 31, 2025) visited the residence of a 21-year-old Gujjar youth who was killed during a police shoot-out in Satwari, Jammu and condemned his 'cold blooded murder.' 'Mohammad Parvez was executed in a fake encounter by those meant to protect him. This is state-sponsored terror targeting the Gujjar-Bakerwal community. I demand a time-bound judicial probe to expose the culprits and ensure justice,' Ms. Mufti said. She warned that 'such killings deepen alienation and erode trust in democratic institutions.' The Gujjar youth was shot dead during a shoot-out on July 24, 2025, in Surey Chak under Satwari Police Station. The family accused the police of staging the encounter. Omar govt. failed Ms. Mufti said despite the high expectations, the elected government of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has failed to stop abuse of the populace. 'The killing of Parvez is part of a chilling pattern of violence, with over a dozen Gujjar-Bakerwal men dying in suspicious circumstances in 2024-25,' Ms. Mufti said. The former chief minister commented on other such cases: in February 2025 Makhan Din, a 25-year-old Gujjar from Kathua Bhilawar, committed suicide after recording a video alleging torture by the security forces. In March 2025, three Gujjar youths — Showkat Ahmad Bhajad, Riyaz Ahmad Bhajad, and Mukhtar Ahmad Awan — from Kulgam, who went missing on their way to a wedding, were found dead in the Vishaw River, with families alleging torture marks contradicting police claims of drowning. In April 2025, Altaf Hussain Lali, a Gujjar from Bandipora, branded an 'overground worker' (OGW) for militants, was killed in what his family claims was a staged encounter. On May 4, 2025, Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray, a 23-year-old from Tangmarg, Kulgam, reportedly in army custody, allegedly jumped into the Vishaw Nallah stream in Kulgam's Aharbal Wattoo area during a search operation, resulting in his death. Missing shepherd 'Besides, Manzoor Ahmad Tedwa from Marhwa, Kishtawar, has been missing from his pasture for two months, with police failing to locate him. Muddasir Ahmad Dhakad, a tribal madrasa student from Devsar, Kulgam, has been missing since June 22, 2025, with his family pleading for justice. Kathua and Samba police have detained thousands of community members, releasing them after investigations that found no guilt, further fueling distrust,' Ms. Mufti said. She said the nomadic Gujjar-Bakerwal communities face relentless harassment during their seasonal cattle migrations. 'Reports from 2025 document arbitrary accusations of drug peddling and cattle smuggling, obstruction of migration routes, and forced evictions, such as the 2020 demolition of Bakerwal dhoks in Pahalgam,' she said.
