Jammu, In the Rajouri district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the mysterious death of a man who had been missing has sparked widespread protests, with demonstrators placing the deceased’s body on the road and halting traffic for hours.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Mohammad Mushtaq, the deceased, had been missing since February 29 from Karuliya village, located in the jurisdiction of the Kalakote Police Station in Rajouri district. His body was later found under suspicious circumstances in a local river in the Chingus area of Rajouri. The protesters, including locals and relatives of Mushtaq, have accused the Indian army of being involved in his death, alleging that he was killed while in army custody.

The protest, which took place in the Kalakote area, saw the Rajouri-Kalakote route blocked for several hours, as demonstrators demanded justice for Mushtaq. Prominent social activist Tazeem Gujjar, along with other social workers and political leaders, joined the protest, denouncing the occupation authorities and calling for a prompt and thorough investigation into the death.

The lack of progress in the investigation or the apprehension of suspects during the 18 days Mushtaq was missing has further fueled the community’s anger and calls for accountability. The demonstrators labeled Mushtaq’s death as a heinous murder and stressed the need for a fair investigation to bring justice to the deceased, who was a father of four children, and his grieving family.

This incident has once again brought to light the human rights violations and the pattern of extrajudicial killings attributed to Indian forces in the region, following closely on the heels of the deaths of three other youths from Rajouri district, who were also allegedly killed in custody by Indian troops a few weeks prior.