On Thursday evening, Parvaz, a 21-year-old man, was shot dead by police in civilian clothes. The police initially stated that a team was chasing a suspected drug peddler when they were fired upon. In the ensuing crossfire, an unknown person was injured and taken to GMC Jammu for treatment.
However, the family and the tribal community strongly denied the allegations, calling the killing of the newlywed tribal youth a murder. The incident triggered widespread protests, leading to calls for an impartial probe from Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and other leaders.
In a surprising turn of events, the police contradicted their initial statement and blamed local media for portraying Mohammad Parvaz as a drug peddler.
In an attempt to quell the agitating Gujjar Bakerwal community, a senior police officer said Parvaz was a martyr and that two policemen involved in the shootout had been suspended.
"The boy (Parvaz) was a martyr and his colleagues are aware of this fact. Our intention is to unite society, not to break it. We have formed an SIT and suspended the two policemen involved in the shootout. said Ajay Sharma, South Jammu City Superintendent of Police.
According to the family, on Thursday, Parvaz and a relative had gone out to buy medicine when they were intercepted by a group of four to five men in civilian clothing in Satwari police station area. They said initially they thought it was a group of cow vigilantes, and tried to flee.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear, with multiple versions of how and why the police in plain clothes resorted to firing.
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