Baazinag, Bandipora: Mohammad Rafiq, a young Gujjar tribesman, has been in a dilemma for the past five days – whether to fight for the body of his 29-year-old brother, buried by the police far away in an unmarked grave in north Kashmir, or to investigate the mystery surrounding his death.

Trouble began in this hilly village of Bandipora district on Friday morning (April 25) when news spread that Rafiq’s brother, Altaf Hussain Lali, a daily-wage labourer and father of four children, had died in an encounter. His body was taken for burial to an anonymous graveyard in Bangus, a popular tourist destination in north Kashmir.

Senior superintendent of police (Bandipora) Harmeet Singh said that Lali was arrested along with an AK-47 rifle. “Later, he guided a police party to a hideout in a forested area on April 25 where a group of militants opened fire, injuring two policemen. He was killed in retaliatory firing and another AK-47 rifle was recovered from the hideout,” the SSP said.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said that the circumstances of Lali’s death were “surrounded by serious suspicion and allegations”. 

Lali’s detention

“Lali and his sister were summoned to the police station. While his sister was released after questioning, Lali was detained. Two days later, his family was informed that he had died in an encounter. People refused to believe the police version and came out to protest,” she wrote. 

Javed Choudhary, a tribal leader and legislator of the ruling National Conference, urged the director general of J&K Police, Nalin Prabhat, to investigate the incident and “fix accountability”. 

Parveena, Laali’s wife and their three children, eldest among whom, Saima Altaf (R) is a Class 7 student. Photo: Jehangir Ali.

“Is this yet another case of extrajudicial killing? The story narrated by the family is tragic and unbearable…At a time when we need to get even more united to defeat the enemies of peace such incidents prove self-defeatist,” he posted on Facebook.

The Wire met Lali’s family which comprises his elder brother Rafiq, his wife and their seven children along with Lali’s widow and her four children.

The Baazinag village – which offers a panoramic view of the Wular lake, Asia’s largest freshwater waterbody, set against a background of snowcapped mountains – is not serviced by road. 

To get to Baazinag, one has to take a wide, steep, gravel path that zigzags up the mountain. After about 20 minutes’ hike, the path branches off through a dense grove of wild bushes and walnut trees into an apple orchard adjacent to the courtyard of the bereaved family’s house.

The mountain village of Baazinag offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the Wular lake, Asia’s largest freshwater waterbody set against a background of snowcapped mountains. Photo: Jehangir Ali.

Even though the four-day mourning per Islamic tradition ended a day ago, a trickle of relatives and neighbours continued to drop by the dilapidated two-storey house and share the grief of the family that has lost its main breadwinner, leaving his widow with two bank loans and the burden of four children, the eldest of whom is a Class 7 student.

Lali’s family told The Wire that he was asked to report at a local police post in Ajas on April 23, two days before his death, where he was detained along with his sister, Ameena Begum, who said that she was also accused of being an “OGW” (overground worker of militants).

Hundreds of suspects listed as OGWs in police records were detained after 26 civilians were killed in Pahalgam in the deadliest terrorist attack on tourists in Kashmir on April 22.

Ameena Begum (L) breaks down and Dilshada Bano (R) wipes away her tears while narrating the events at their house. Photo: Jehangir Ali.

Recalling the events, Dilshada Bano, Lali’s sister-in-law and custodian of the family’s only mobile phone, said that she received a call from a policeman on April 23, asking her to immediately get Lali to report at the police post.

Like other suspected OGWs, Lali was frequently detained by police, his brother Rafiq said. In the past, his family has been asked to submit ‘istigasa’, a legal affidavit promising good behaviour, before his release. 

“A lawyer broke the news [of his death],” Rafiq, Lali’s brother and father of seven children, recalled. “When I rushed to the police station, I learnt that the policemen were taking his body to Bangus valley”.

A pristine expanse of meadows in north Kashmir’s Shamshabari range of mountains, which was opened to tourists in 2022, the Bangus valley also houses a mass graveyard for militants killed in encounters. In its official statement about the incident, the army didn’t mention any casualties or injuries.

“On 25 April 2025, based on specific intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists, a Joint Search Operation was launched by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the general area of Kolnar Ajas, Bandipora. Contact was established, and a firefight ensued.” the Army’s Srinagar-based Chinar Corps wrote on X.

Protests against Lali’s death

On Friday, a massive demonstration against Lali’s death saw hundreds of men and women on the strategic Srinagar-Gurez highway. Ppolice resorted to teargas shells in retaliation and charged at the protesters with batons.

“I wanted to see his face one last time. Our demand was only for his body but the police fired teargas and assaulted protesters, including women, with batons,” said Mewa Jan, Lali’s cousin, showing her arm wrapped in a cloth sling.

A relative of Lali showing a video of a massive protest that broke out in the village against the killing.

In the aftermath of the protests, residents alleged that a cordon was laid around the village for at least three days to prevent more protests. A case of sedition and cyberterrorism was also filed by Bandipora Police under section 152 Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and 66 (f) of Information Technology Act (Fir No: 71/2025).

“A few involved persons have been apprehended for their involvement in this criminal act for questioning purposes and further action shall be initiated as warranted under law,” a police statement said without specifying details or any reference to the encounter.

Later, a media advisory was also issued, warning that the Bandipora police was “monitoring social media platforms for content aimed at disturbing peace”.

The police actions triggered a wave of anxiety and fear in the village where residents told The Wire that at least three persons have been detained for sharing the photos and videos of the protest against Lali’s death on social media.

Suspected of being killed in police custody

Rejecting official claims, Lali’s family suspect that he may have been killed in police custody. Some years ago, Lali had planted apple saplings in a field adjacent to the house in order to sustain his large family. The saplings have grown into young trees and a recent photo shared by his family shows Lali posing with them.

Following his detention, Bano said that Lali spoke to her and other family members over phone on a couple of occasions. In his last call, Bano claimed that he expressed fears that he was going to be booked under the draconian Public Safety Act and asked for more clothes.

A source in Bandipora court told The Wire that there was no criminal case against Lali, except the one filed by police in connection with the encounter in which he was killed.

“If he was a militant commander, why would he go to the police station on his own? Will a militant commander take photos with apple trees? You can see my call details and CCTV cameras at the police station will prove that he was in police custody. If he had committed any wrong, they should have booked him. Why did they kill him?” Bano asked.

However, SSP Singh rejected the family’s allegations. “Their eldest brother was a hardcore militant who was involved in murder cases. The family has links with militants,” SSP Singh said.

Speaking with The Wire, Lali’s wife, Parveena Bano, whose bloodshot eyes narrate the story of suffering and loss, said that the government should order an impartial probe into her husband’s death.

“He was often called to report at the police station but we had no idea what was going to happen. If he was guilty, why didn’t they send him to jail? What was the need of killing him? We are a poor family and I have four small children. He was our only breadwinner. Who will take care of us now?”

Gujjar community caught in crossfire

Lali’s eldest brother, identified as Talib Hussain, a district commander of Hizbul Mujahideen who was reportedly arrested in 2013, completed his sentence in Tihar jail last year, according to a relative of the deceased.

“Lali went to Delhi last year and deposited the fine amount of Rs 75,000 that was also imposed by the court after which his brother was shifted to a jail in Bandipora. He was set to be released but the family delayed the process, fearing that he could be killed,” said a relative of the deceased, wishing anonymity.

Talib Hussain, a Gujjar activist, said that the tribal community of J&K has been living under surveillance and fear since the reading down of Article 370, marked by a sharp uptick in attacks on forces and civilians in areas close to their habitations.

“They have become suspects in the eyes of security agencies,” Hussain said.

In 2023, three Gujjar men were tortured to death in army custody while several others survived, some with major injuries, after the army resorted to arbitrary detention of civilians in the aftermath of a militant attack in Poonch district.

Earlier this year, a Gujjar youth died by suicide in Kathua district after alleging that the police were trying to frame him in a false case.

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