Srinagar, Jun 25: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken up a complaint regarding the mysterious disappearance and subsequent deaths of three men from the Gujjar-Bakerwal Scheduled Tribe in Kulgam district of south Kashmir.
The case, highlighting serious allegations of “apathy and abuse of power,” is being pursued by advocates Aquib Wani and Yavar Ramzan. According to a complaint received by the Commission, ñ a copy of which has Greater Kashmir, three men ó Mohammad Showkat, Riyaz Ahmed Bajad, and Mukhtar Ahmed ó had left their homes in Ashmuji village on February 13, 2025, to attend a family function. All three reportedly vanished on their way to the event, with their mobile phones found to be switched off shortly after.
Desperate to find them, family members conducted extensive searches and reached out to friends and relatives, but no trace of the men was found. The families allege that despite repeatedly approaching the local police in Kulgam for help, authorities failed to take any meaningful action until the case drew widespread attention on social and print media.
Tragically, two of the three men were later found dead in a nearby nallah (stream). When families sought answers about the third missing person, Mukhtar Ahmed, the complaint alleges that officials responded with aggression rather than assistance. This confrontation, coupled with the anguish of losing two loved ones and the uncertainty surrounding the third, sparked local outrage.
In protest, the residents staged a peaceful sit-in on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway near Qazigund, bringing the bodies of the deceased with them. The situation escalated further when a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) allegedly kicked an elderly woman related to the missing men. The disturbing incident, captured on video, provoked widespread condemnation across Jammu and Kashmir and was even raised in the J&K Legislative Assembly.
The complaint to the NHRC categorises the case as an instance of ìAbuse of Powerî by law enforcement. As of now, the whereabouts of the third man, Mukhtar Ahmed, remain unknown.
The NHRC is currently examining the complaint, which raises troubling questions about accountability, the treatment of marginalized communities, and the role of law enforcement in the area.
