Kashmir unrest Fresh test shows pellets not bullet, killed 22-year-old1

NEW DELHI: The controversy over the death of a 22-year old Kashmiri youth, whose body was exhumed and examined at the direction of the Supreme Court after his parents alleged that he had been shot point blank by police, has ended, with his autopsy concluding that he died of pellet injuries.

The autopsy report was placed before a bench of justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy in a sealed envelope by attorney general Mukul Rohatgi on Monday.

Rohatgi said the report revealed "startling facts" that belied allegations that J&K police personnel barged into Shabir Ahmad Mir's house and eliminated him. The postmortem report was filed in compliance with the apex court order directing the exhumation of Mir's body for medical examination.

The attorney general and the J&K government's standing counsel Sunil Fernandes said the death of the youngster was unfortunate, but the allegations against state police were baseless. The report vindicated the state government's stand, they added.