Four persons, including two Kashmiri businessmen, were killed during an anti-terror operation by security forces in Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The police said that two terrorists were killed in the operation and the killed businessmen were "terrorist supporters", NDTV said. 

The killed businessmen - Dr Mudasir Gul and Altaf Bhat - had shops in the commercial complex at Hyderpora where the shootout took place last evening.

Mudsir Gul, a dental surgeon by training, ran a computer centre in the complex. Altaf Bhat was the owner of the commercial complex and also ran a hardware and cement shop there.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti demanded an inquiry into the killings. The families allege that the businessmen were killed by security forces but the police insist that both of them were either killed in terrorist firing or killed during the crossfire.

The families have been demanding their bodies for the last rites. The police, however, said that the bodies cannot be handed over to families because of the law and order situation. Police said all four bodies were buried in Handwara area of north Kashmir, 100 km from Srinagar.

"You killed my innocent uncle Mohammad Altaf Bhat in cold blooded murder in Hyderpora, you used him as human shield and now saying he was "OGW". return us his body'' tweeted Saima Bhat.

Vijay Kumar, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, said the computer center by Mudasir was an unauthorised call center, which had six computers.

"We approached families of Mudasir and Altaf to participate in burial. Since we have apprehensions of law and order problem we cannot handover bodies to families. We took bodies to Handwara where burial took place" said Kumar.

Police said two pistols have been recovered from the encounter site and the call center being run in the commercial complex was used for terrorist activities.

 Initially, police said both the businessmen were injured and eventually killed in the terrorist firing but later said that they may have been caught in the cross-firing.

Locals say soon after security forces launched an operation to track down suspected terrorists and a volley of gunfire ensued. What followed was a nightmare for locals and those stranded in sub-zero temperature.

Families of Altaf and Mudasir said they visited the police station several times demanding that the bodies be returned to them but they were denied.

"At 10 pm last night we heard Dr Mudasir was killed. Please do justice and give us his body. He was a dental surgeon and running his business in the complex in Hyderpora," said a relative to NDTV,

"It's a lie that he was an OGW (overground worker of terrorists)" the family said.

Srinagar has been witnessing frequent terrorist-related incidents for last few months. On Sunday evening, one policeman was injured in a terrorist firing in the downtown area of Srinagar. The police said terrorists fired during a raid by the security forces.

 There have been several incidents of targeted attacks by terrorists on migrant workers and members of minority communities since last month.

(SAM)