A shutdown was on Friday observed in Kashmir following the pre-dawn reburial of two civilians after their bodies were on Thursday night exhumed by the police from a terrorist graveyard and handed over to their kin for their last rites according to religious rituals.

Braving the midnight chill, a large number of people turned out for their reburial. Police had buried all the four terrorists and civilians in north Kashmir’s Kupwara.

The Police had earlier said the two “civilians”, Mohammad Altaf Bhat (48) a trader, and Mudasir Gul (40) a dentist, were killed in the crossfire by terrorists at Hyderpora locality in Srinagar.

Their killing sparked angry protests and their relatives and political parties demanded the return of the bodies of the two persons.

The shutdown was observed on the call of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) that in a statement said. The tragedy, which has struck the families of innocent civilians killed in the Hyderpora encounter, is so tormenting that its pain has stunned the people of Kashmir.

The Bar Association had also given the shutdown call. Most shopping centres remained shut and vehicular traffic was off the road as a mark of protest.

PDP chief and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti tweeted; “Aamir Magrey also killed in Hyderpora encounter is yet to be given a decent burial by his mourning family. The fact that these families are begging for mortal remains instead of asking for justice reflects their lack of faith in the system. His body must be returned immediately”.

CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami also urged the government to return the body of Amir Ahmad Magray, a resident of Gool in Ramban, without any further delay.

It has been proven beyond any doubt that Magray is a civilian. His father Abdul Latief Magray is a state bravery award winner and now his son has been killed and “falsely” labeled as a militant which is highly unfortunate.

The government must ensure that those involved in the killing of unarmed civilians are brought to book and punished under law, Tarigami said.

Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha had ordered a magisterial probe into the killing of Bhat and Gul before their bodies were exhumed and handed over to their kin in Srinagar.

It is worth mentioning that in the past couple of years the police have discontinued handing over bodies of killed terrorists and their associates to their kin to prevent their glorification by people who used to attend their funerals in large numbers.

At times, terrorists also used to reach the burial ground and fire with their weapons in the air as a mark of respect to their killed associates.