J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday demanded a probe into the Ganderbal encounter, where the Army claimed to have killed a local terrorist in an overnight operation on April 31-March 1. At the very least this encounter needs a transparent and time bound probe with the facts made public. The Chief Minister made the statement after the family of the slain, identified as Arsheed Mugal Bakerwal, son of Gul-Zaman Bakerwal, a resident of Chuntwaliwar, Ganderbal, claimed “there were no militant links of the slain youth”. The deceased is a 28-year-old post-graduate and lived with his family in the area, the family claimed. Former J&K Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti expressed worry over the incident.

Source: The Hindu April 02, 2026 22:57 UTC