Protests rock Gudoora village of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district after a bullet-riddled body of a man was found in a nallah on Friday.The deceased was identified as Muhammad Yousuf Lone, a resident of Gudoora.Locals while blaming government forces for his killing said that Lone was killed in cold blood during a cordon and search operation.His body was found several hours after gunshots were heard in the nearby Hakripora village where forces had launched cordon and search operation after inputs about the presence of militants last night.Eyewitnesses told CNS that a couple of militants emerged on the spot and fired shots as a mark of respect to the slain youth. The locals said that Lone was first apprehended by Government Forces and then shot him dead. “The Forces after putting him to death dumped his body into a nallah,” said locals. Local sources said that the slain youth was a former militant and now was living a peaceful life. One of his neighbours said that in 2011, Muhammad Yousuf Lone had a narrow escape when unidentified gunmen fired at him near Sangam bridge of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district. In that attack, the slain man’s arm was completely damaged.
Reports said that thousands of mourners participated in his last rites. The mourners chanted pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. The slain man is survived by his wife and four daughters.Newly posted SSP Pulwama Choudhary Aslam said that the deceased was an over-ground worker of Lashkar-e-Toiba militants. “But he was not killed by police or the forces,” he said.He also denied that there was a link between the operation in Hakripora and killing of Lone. "Hakripora is located around three kilometres away from Gudoora. That was a separate operation which has nothing to do with the killing of Lone," he added.Meanwhile, a police spokesperson blamed militants for killing Muhammad Yousuf Lone.During the initial investigation, it was revealed that the deceased, identified as Muhammad Yousuf Lone, was fired upon by militants during the intervening night of 18-19 May 2017,” said a spokesman.He said a case FIR number 174/2017 under section 302 RPC and 7/27 Arms Act has been registered in PS Pulwama. “Further investigation is going on,” he said. (CNS)