Jammu: Two policemen have been suspended following the killing of a 21-year-old tribal youth, Mohammad Parvaz, in what is alleged to be a staged encounter in Jammu and Kashmir, media reports said.

The incident has triggered widespread protests and public anger, prompting authorities to initiate both a magisterial inquiry and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe, said an NDTV report.

Parvaz was shot dead on Thursday evening by policemen dressed in plain clothes.

The initial police statement claimed that a team pursuing a suspected drug peddler came under fire, and an unidentified person was injured during the exchange and taken to GMC Jammu for treatment.

However, the family and members of the Gujjar-Bakerwal tribal community strongly rejected the police version, insisting Parvaz—recently married—was deliberately killed.

Public outrage mounted across the region, with political leaders including Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah calling for an impartial investigation.

Amid rising pressure, the police later distanced themselves from their earlier claim and accused sections of the local media of wrongly portraying Parvaz as a drug peddler.

In a move to pacify the agitating community, a senior police officer acknowledged Parvaz’s death as martyrdom and announced disciplinary action.

"The boy (Parvaz) was a martyr and his colleagues are aware of this fact. Our intention is to unite society, not to break it. We have formed an SIT and suspended the two policemen involved in the shootout," said Ajay Sharma, Superintendent of Police, South Jammu City.

According to the family, Parvaz and a relative had gone out to buy medicines when they were stopped by four to five men in plain clothes in the Satwari police station area.

Mistaking them for cow vigilantes, they tried to flee, the family said.

Details about what led to the shooting remain murky, with conflicting accounts and no clear explanation yet on why the plainclothes policemen opened fire. An investigation is ongoing.