Lawaypora Gunfight: One of slain militants never went to university to fill in form as claimed by parents, police say

Srinagar: Police on Friday disputed the claim of parents of one of the slain in Wednesday’s gunfight on Srinagar outskirts that he had gone to the university to fill in his form.

In a statement issued Friday, police said that the Lawaypora encounter “started with army inputs and eventually fructified into a joint operation of Army, CRPF and Police”.
It said that after the cordon was laid, militants lobbed grenade from inside and fired upon search party.
” Although as per SOP, militants were repeatedly appealed by the troops to surrender in the evening and again in the morning, however, instead of surrendering, they fired upon troops and eventually got neutralised in a fire-fight, ” police said.

In so far as claims of the parents that Aijaz Maqbool Ganai, one of the slain trio in the gunfight went to the university to fill up form is concerned. The same was verified and cross checked through the modern techniques including records of telecom department. Contrary to the claims, the verified digital evidence revealed and corroborated that Aijaz and Ather had gone to Hyderpora and from there to the place of occurrence only, ” it claimed.

“Similarly, Zubair had gone first to Pulwama, then Anantnag, then Shopian to Pulwama and finally came to place of occurrence, ” it further added.

Police said that “background check also reveals that Aijaz and Ather Mustaq, both OGWs variously provided logistic support to militants”.

It said that “antecedents and verifications too shows that both were radically inclined and had aided militants of LeT (now so-called TRF) outfit”.

One of OGW presently under police custody has also corroborated Aijaz’s association with LeT militant Faisal Mustaq Baba who was killed in Meej (Pampore) encounter in June last year, police said.
Pertinently, Ather was relative and OGW of HM top commander Rayees Kachroo who got killed in year 2017.
Police said in the statement that it is investigating into the case “from all possible angles”.(GNS)