Srinagar: The “family” of the militant killed on Friday in Kachama woods in north Kashmir’s frontier district of Kupwara have approached the concerned Deputy Commissioner’s Office for the exhumation of the body.

Ghulam Ahmad Bhat, who claims to be the father of the slain militant, said the family first approached a local court in Kupwara, then the Assistant Commissioner and SSP concerned to complete the legal procedure for conducting the DNA examination of their son.

“We have been told to carry out legal formalities to seek exhumation of the body and subsequent DNA test for identification purposes,” he said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kupwar, Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar confirmed that a family from Barzulla has approached his office and said that it will take some time to complete the legal procedure.

“We are going to conduct DNA matching of the slain militant with his family after getting proper permission from the concerned authority,” he said, adding. if the DNA sample matches with the family, the body will be exhumed accordingly.

On Friday, the army claimed to have killed an unidentified militant in an encounter at Tunga Top forest area of Kachama.

According to the reports, the family was informed by a man who has come on bike to their home in Barzulla, infomring them that the youth killed in Tunga Top forest area of Kachama in Kupwara was their kin identified as Mudasir Ahmad Bhat (31) son of Ghulam Ahmad Bhat of Nasti Mohalla, Old Barzulla.

Mudasir went missing in 2016 and the family feigned ignorance about him joining the militant ranks.

Ahmad said that police informed them that the slain has been buried at NK Gali area of Jumgund forests late Friday night after conducting the post-mortem and carrying out other legal formalities.

Soon after the news spread in the Barzulla locality on late Friday evening, scores of youth took to streets and staged protests seeking the body of the slain. (GNS)