A high-stakes counter-terror operation in Kulgam district turned controversial after a 23-year-old local man, Imtiaz Ahmad Magray, drowned while attempting to escape security forces during an ongoing investigation. The dramatic moment, captured on drone footage by Gulistan News TV, shows Magray jumping into the fast-flowing Vishwa River, where he was later seen struggling before being swept away by the current.
Authorities confirmed that Magray, a resident of Tangimarg, had been in police custody since May 3 after allegedly confessing to providing food and logistical support to militants hiding in the nearby forest area. On May 5, while accompanying security personnel to a suspected hideout, he unexpectedly leapt into the river. His body was recovered the following day from the Adbal stream in Aharbal.
While security officials assert that Magray’s escape attempt was unprovoked and voluntary—as supported by the drone footage—the incident has drawn strong criticism from local residents and political figures. Allegations have emerged that Magray was in custody for two days, prompting suspicion about the circumstances of his death.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has demanded an impartial judicial investigation, citing a pattern of “serious allegations of foul play” in recent security operations, including a controversial encounter in Bandipora.
Here is the video:
The incident unfolds against a backdrop of intensified anti-terror measures in the region. Just two weeks earlier, on April 24, a joint operation involving the Indian Army, J&K Police, and CRPF dismantled a terrorist hideout in the same Tangimarg area. Items recovered included gas cylinders, food supplies, bedding, and a pressure cooker filled with chicken biryani—evidence allegedly linking the site to militants involved in an attack on tourists in Pahalgam. Those attackers reportedly included three foreign militants from Pakistan and two locals from Bijbehara and Thokerpora, Kulgam.
The release of the drone footage has intensified calls for transparency and accountability in security operations. While police have launched a formal investigation into Magray’s death, public distrust remains high, with many demanding answers over whether due process was followed in his arrest, custody, and ultimate demise.
As tensions simmer in Kulgam, the case underscores growing concerns over the balance between counter-terrorism and human rights in Jammu and Kashmir.
