According to Khan, Zargar was found lying in a pool of blood. 'We cannot say what kind of injuries he had because police quickly took the body to a hospital.'

Police were awaiting an autopsy report as the cause of Zargar's death was not known.

The group has called for an indefinite strike in the town to protest the 'murder of our activist', Khan said.

Zargar had announced that he would support the family of the two women.

The twin rape-murder case has seen many twists and turns and it was recently alleged that the DNA samples of the victims had been fudged.

The Jammu and Kashmir government last week said it was ready to recommend a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the crime.

The Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL) in New Delhi reportedly found that the DNA profile of tissue cells present in the samples of the women sent by the Jammu and Kashmir police did not match the samples of the victims' blood and viscera.

The CFSL has sent its findings to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of police.

The autopsies of the women have confirmed that they were raped and murdered. Four police officers have been arrested and are facing charges of destruction, dissipation and suppression of evidence.