The family members and relatives of three alleged militants killed in Srinagar encounter on Monday staged a protest in the summer capital, Srinagar, demanding an impartial probe and bodies of the trio.Meanwhile, all political parties have also sought a time-bound and impartial probe into the incident after the families of the slain claimed that they were innocent and were killed in a staged encounter.Reacting to the protests, former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that now the mothers of youth are being forced to hit the streets to seek the bodies of their sons.Braving chilly weather conditions and heavy snowfall, the family members of the trio assembled at Press Enclave in Srinagar on Monday. Holding placards, which read, ‘We want complete investigation of this innocent killing’, ‘Stop innocent killing’, besides other slogans, the family members of the trio demanded a time-bound and impartial probe into the incident.The protestors, including old women, demanded that the bodies of the slain youth be returned to the families so that their last rites could be performed properly. “All we want is a free and fair investigation to the killings of our innocent boys. There are many unanswered questioned and gapes in the statements issued by police,” the protestors said.They said they have already written a letter to the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha for the bodies to be returned to the families and a thorough investigation be initiated into the killings.However, refuting the allegations, a police spokesperson said generally parents don’t have idea about the activities of their wards. “Several OGWs after committing terror crimes like grenade throwing & pistol shooting etc stay normally with their family. Although the three killed militants in Srinagar encounter were not mentioned in our list of militants, yet two of them are associates of militants,” he said.Meanwhile, a spontaneous strike was observed in the summer capital on Friday in support of demand for impartial and time-bound inquiry into Srinagar encounter. Three alleged militants — identified as Aijaz Ahmad Ganie, Ather Mushtaq from Pulwama and Zubair Ahmad Lone from Shopian – were killed in an encounter with security forces in Srinagar outskirts on December 30.
