Youth’s body recovered from river in Kulgam; Mehbooba alleges ‘foul play’

A youth accused of being an overground worker (OGW) by the J&K Police died after jumping into a fast-flowing stream during a search operation on Sunday, May 4, 2025, in south Kashmir’s Kulgam. 
| Photo Credit: PTI

A youth accused of being an overground worker (OGW) by the J&K Police died after jumping into a fast-flowing stream during a search operation on Sunday (May 4, 2025) in south Kashmir’s Kulgam. J&K parties have demanded an investigation into the incident.

The victim, a labourer by profession, was identified as Imtiaz Ahmad Magray, 23, a resident of Tangmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla. The J&K Police also released drone footage where a person, claimed to be Magray, could be seen jumping into a fast-flowing stream, Vishaw Nallah, in Adbal Wattoo area of D.H. Pora in Kulgam. The body of the youth was spotted and retrieved by locals after the incident. An official said a team of the J&K Police reached the spot and sent the body for medico-legal formalities.

The initial police version suggested that Magray went to a hideout spot during a cordon and search operation and was under close supervision of a drone camera. Magray, according to the police sources, jumped “to escape via the river route”.

The sources said, the victim had helped in busting a hideout of militants by security forces in Tangmarg forest on April 23.

Magray’s mysterious death follows two incidents that came under criticism of the political parties in J&K since the Pahalgam attack, which left 26 civilians dead on April 22. In one incident, the brother of a jailed militant was reported dead by security forces in an encounter on April 26. In another incident, unknown gunmen killed a 45-year-old civilian, whose brother crossed into Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in the 1990s, in Kupwara.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, in a post on X, said, “Yet another body has been recovered from a river in Kulgam raising serious allegations of foul play. Local residents allege that Imtiyaz Magray was picked up by the army two days ago and now mysteriously his body has surfaced in the river.”

She said the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam appears to be a calculated attempt to derail the fragile peace, disrupt tourism in Kashmir and undermine communal harmony across the country. “If a single act of violence can shake the entire system—triggering arbitrary arrests, home demolitions, and the targeting of innocent civilians then the perpetrators have already achieved their objective. Allegations of misconduct whether in the Bandipora encounter or in this latest incident in Kulgam are deeply troubling and warrant a thorough impartial investigation,” Ms. Mufti said.

J&K Minister Sakina Itoo visited the family of Magray. The Minister demanded a judicial probe into the death. “The elected government stands with the family,” Mr. Itoo said. 

National Conference (NC) Member of Parliament Syed Aga Ruhullah also seconded Ms. Mufti’s claim that Magray was picked up by the security forces days ago. “He (Magray) was returned to his family lifeless. This follows disturbing allegations by family members of those who were recently killed in Kupwara and Bandipora, raising serious questions about the pattern of abuse,” he said.

He said Kashmiris should not be treated as collateral damage in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. “Arbitrary detentions, custodial killings, and torture are violations of every democratic and legal principle. Counterterrorism is increasingly getting reflected as collective punishment. The family’s demands for a swift, independent investigation into Imtiyaz’s death, and full accountability for all involved must be upheld. We cannot allow a culture of impunity to destroy what little trust remains,” Mr. Ruhullah said.