A wave of grief and unrest has swept through the Ajas area of Bandipora district after a local resident, Altaf Lalli, was killed in what the Indian Army described as an anti-militancy operation on April 25. However, his family and locals strongly dispute the official narrative, alleging he died in custody days after being summoned for police questioning.
The incident comes just days after a deadly militant attack on April 22 in Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, 25 of them tourists and one local who resisted the attack.
The attack, one of the deadliest in recent years, has triggered heightened security operations across the region.
According to an Army spokesperson, a joint cordon-and-search operation involving the Army, police, and paramilitary forces was launched on April 25 in the Kulnar-Bazipora area of Bandipora. Security forces reportedly came under fire from militants hiding in the area, leading to a gun battle in which one militant, identified as Altaf Lalli, was killed. Two policemen were injured in the exchange and hospitalised.
However, Altaf’s family and neighbours present a starkly different account.
“He was taken days earlier — alive”
Family members say Altaf was picked up by police on April 23, the day after the Pahalgam attack, for questioning about his brother, a former militant who had surrendered years ago. It wasn’t the first time Altaf had been called in, they said.
“He was taken to Ajas Police Chowki on April 23,” said his brother. “The next day, I went to check on him, and they said he had been moved to Bandipora Police Station. But that evening, around 7 PM, we received a call from Altaf himself — from Hajin Police Station. He asked us to bring clothes and a blanket. We met him briefly. He seemed scared.”
“When I spoke to him on the phone on April 24, he said, ‘I don’t know what they are going to do to me.’ The next morning, when I called Hajin police station again, they said they’d call back, but they never did. Later that day, we were summoned by the DSP of Bandipora, and there they showed us his body,” His sister-in-law told Maktoob.
Local Outrage and Protests
Following the announcement of Altaf’s death, protests erupted in his hometown of Kolnar Ajas. Residents clashed with security forces and raised slogans, disputing the Army’s version that Altaf was a militant. Many locals described him as a daily wage labourer and the sole breadwinner for his family, with no criminal record.
“If he were a militant, why wasn’t he arrested before? He was living among us, working every day,” said one of Altaf’s close friends. No cases had ever been registered against Altaf, according to family members and local police sources.
The family is demanding an independent investigation into the circumstances of Altaf’s death and the immediate return of his body. They insist on evidence supporting the Army’s claim that Altaf was involved in militant activity.
“Our only question is — where is the proof? He was taken alive. What happened between April 24 and April 25?” the family asked.
As tensions remain high in the area, rights activists and political voices have also begun calling for a transparent inquiry into the killing, fearing a repeat of past instances of alleged custodial deaths being masked as encounters.
Over a thousand people were detained in the immediate fallout of the attack in Pahalgam, which reportedly included many minors. At least nine residential houses were demolished in parts of south Kashmir by authorities in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack after authorities alleged that the houses belonged to militants.
Several Kashmiri politicians and leaders have voiced out their concern on the crackdown following the attack. In different posts on the social media platform X, they said that innocent citizens are not to be troubled, and a thorough investigation is needed for justice.
Former J&K Chief Minister and PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti said: “The Government of India must tread with caution and carefully distinguish between terrorists and civilians following the recent Pahalgam attack. It must not alienate innocent people, especially those opposing terror. There are reports of thousands being arrested and scores of houses of common kashmiris being demolished along with those of militants.”
The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to shut down around 50 tourist destinations and trekking trails in the Valley, citing security reasons.
