The Indian Army is contradicting its own earlier claims by repeatedly portraying the same Kashmiri youth, identified as Musa, as having been killed in separate encounters, the Kashmir Media Service (KMS) reported.
According to KMS, police released sketches of Hashim Musa, described as an alleged attacker from Pahalgam, on April 25, 2025. However, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) declared the sketches released by Jammu police to be incorrect on June 23, 2025.
KMS claimed that the Indian Army later announced Musa’s death during “Operation Mahadev” on July 28, 2026, and has again reported his death following an alleged encounter in Budgam district on September 29, 2026.
The report alleged that the repeated claims have raised questions over the credibility of the narrative surrounding Musa’s identity and death. It also accused sections of the Indian media of sensationalizing such claims.
KMS further alleged that Indian forces have used staged encounters and extrajudicial killings to justify their military presence in Kashmir, while citing claims of thousands of custodial deaths and staged encounters in the region.
The report also referred to the alleged killing of a youth identified as Yasir in an encounter on September 5, 2026. KMS claimed that international human rights organizations have called for impartial investigations into allegations of staged encounters, unmarked graves and extrajudicial killings in occupied Kashmir.
