Kulgam man jumps into river, drowns; video surfaces as NC, PDP leaders cry foul

Amid allegations that his body was found in a river after he was picked up by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district, official sources said on Monday that 23-year old Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray had jumped into the river after he was taken to identify the terrorist hideout.

Police sources said that Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray, 23, had given food and shelter to terrorists in Kulgam district, and he drowned after he jumped into a river while escaping from the security forces.

Sources said that a video taken from high ground shows the man, Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray, suddenly jumping into the rocky river after scanning the forested area briefly.

Magray was picked up by the police on Saturday. Police sources said that during questioning, he told police that he gave food and logistics support to terrorists hiding in the forest in Kulgam's Tangmarg.

“The accused agreed to lead the security forces to the terrorists' hideout. On Sunday morning, while leading a joint team of the police and the Army to raid the hideout, Magray, in a bid to flee, jumped into the Veshaw River.

“The moment of his escape was also captured on camera. There was no one near him when he decided to bolt. The video showed the man trying to swim, but the strong current carried him away, and he drowned. The entire sequence of events was captured on camera.

“The security forces have condemned those who are spreading misinformation about the incident. The security forces should not be wrongly blamed for the man's unfortunate death,” sources said.

Earlier on Sunday, National Conference (NC) MP, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, had demanded a probe into the death of the youth, alleging that ‘Kashmiris cannot be treated as collateral damage after the Pahalgam terrorist attack’.

The MP also ‘warned against treating Kashmiris as collateral damage and counter terrorism measures getting reflected as collective punishment in the aftermath of last month's Pahalgam terror attack’.

People's Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, alleged a conspiracy in the death of Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray.

"Yet another body has been recovered from a river in Kulgam, raising serious allegations of foul play. Local residents allege that Imtiyaz Magray was picked up by the Army two days ago, and now mysteriously his body has surfaced in the river”, she said on X.

This was, however, not the first time a local resident was caught providing food and logistics to terrorists with cross-border linkages.