Bandipora, April 26 — The brother of a jailed Hizbul Mujahideen commander was killed during an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Friday, officials said, as protests erupted over allegations that the operation was staged.
The deceased, identified as Altaf Lali, was the brother of Talib Lali, a top Hizbul Mujahideen militant arrested in 2023. Security forces had launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Kulnar Bazipora area following intelligence reports about the presence of militants, officials told The Indian Express.
According to police sources cited by The Indian Express, Altaf Lali was working as a “militant associate” and was killed after militants allegedly opened fire on the search team. Two security personnel were injured in the exchange.
Following news of his death, protests broke out in Ajas, Bandipora, with Lali’s family alleging that he had been picked up by police from his home two days earlier and that the encounter was “fake.”
Police fired teargas shells to disperse demonstrators demanding an inquiry into the incident.
Talib Lali, described by officials as the longest-surviving Hizbul Mujahideen militant before his arrest last year, was a senior commander of the group.
The Chenab Times News Desk