Judicial probe will be initiated into Kulgam deaths, says J&K Deputy Chief Minister

J&K Deputy CM Surinder Kumar Choudhary and Education Minister Sakina meets nomadic people to console them after mysterious death of two youth, in Kulgam, J & K, Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Jammu and Kashmir government announced on Tuesday (March 18, 2025) that a judicial inquiry will be initiated into the mysterious deaths of two brothers and the disappearance of another local from south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

Deputy Chief Minister (DCM) Surinder Chowdhary, accompanied by J&K Minister Sakina Ittoo and Chief Minister’s adviser Nasir Aslam Wani, made the announcement after visiting the victims’ families in Kulgam’s Devsar area.

“We have interacted with the victim families. They want to know the truth. We have promised them a judicial inquiry. We also announced monetary assistance for these families. Additionally, we have decided to engage three women from the victim families as helpers to sustain their livelihood,” Mr. Chowdhary said.

Mr. Chowdhary added that their visit was conducted under the directions of J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah “to share the grief of the families”. 

The incident has sent shockwaves through the tribal population of Kulgam, as all three individuals belonged to the Gujjar tribe. “It is a worrisome trend to see youth going missing and their bodies being recovered later – first in Kathua and now in Kulgam,” CM’s adviser Aslam said. 

He said a thorough investigation must uncover the truth behind this case. “Whether it was an accident, a ploy or any other cause, we need to bring the truth to fore. Three youth left home to attend a wedding and went missing. Two bodies have been recovered so far,” Mr. Aslam said.

Three youth – Mohammad Showkat Bajad, Riyaz Ahmad Bajad, and Mukhtar Ahmad – had been reported missing since February 13 from Mah Ashmuji area of Kulgam. The bodies of two brothers, Showkat and Riyaz, both from Chata Doonda, Rajouri, were recovered from Vaishow Nallah last week. The third youth remains missing.

The doctor who conducted the post-mortem suggested it could be “a case of drowning”. However, local residents are unhappy with the police’s investigation into the matter. The incident has sparked street protests by families and local residents demanding a magisterial probe into the deaths.

Cutting across the party lines, legislators from ruling National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Congress protested over the issue inside the Assembly on Monday, They also demanded a probe and action against a police officer accused of kicking women protesters.