The death of a 21-year-old man, Mohammad Parvez, during a reported police shootout in the Satwari area of Jammu has triggered widespread protests from his family and tribal rights activists, who allege the incident was a “fake encounter.”
Parvez, a resident of Javed Nagar in the Nikki Tawi area, succumbed to bullet injuries and was declared dead at Government Medical College, Jammu. In the aftermath, dozens of relatives and members of the Gujjar community staged protests outside the hospital, demanding a transparent and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
“This was not an encounter, it was a targeted killing,” said Talib Hussain, a prominent tribal rights activist. “Parvez had no criminal record, no FIRs. He and his brother-in-law were stopped at a checkpoint and shot without cause. If there were any suspicions, the police should have arrested him through legal means.”
Hussain also dismissed police allegations that Parvez was linked to drug smuggling. “Gujjars have been repeatedly targeted under the pretext of cattle or drug smuggling. We have remained silent too long — this time we will not,” he said, referencing other contentious cases, including the alleged custodial death of Gujjar youth Altaf Lali in Bandipora.
According to Superintendent of Police (City South) Ajay Sharma, the shootout took place during a raid on a suspected drug hub in the Phallain Mandal area under “Operation Clean-up,” a police initiative aimed at dismantling networks involved in drug trafficking, extortion, and gang activity.
“Our team came under fire from suspected drug peddlers during the raid. In retaliatory firing, one person was injured and later died,” Sharma stated.
Police have not confirmed whether any weapons or contraband were recovered from the scene. Authorities say a formal inquiry has been launched to determine the facts of the case.
Meanwhile, activists and Parvez’s family continue to call for an impartial probe, accusing law enforcement of employing excessive and unlawful force without accountability.
