Hindustan Times (Amritsar)

Kashmiri soldier abducted by militants killed

- Toufiq Rashid letters@hindustant­imes.com

SRINAGAR: Militants abducted a 23-year-old Kashmiri trooper of the Territoria­l Army and his body was found in an orchard in south Kashmir’ s Shop ian district on Saturday, officials said.

The slain soldier, Irfan Dar, was on leave for 10 days and visiting his family when he was taken hostage.

A resident of Sezan Keegam village in Shopian, Dar was posted at an army unit in north Kashmir’ s Ban dip ora. Residents discovered the body and his car a few kilometers away from his home.

“The body bore a bullet wound and his family said he wasn’t home since yesterday. We are investigat­ing,” director general of police SP Vaid said. An army spokespers­on confirmed he was on leave till November 26.

“While on leave he was possibly abducted and killed by terrorists. Police are probing the case,” he said.

The murder is almost identical with the killing of another serving soldier on leave, Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz of 2 Rajputana Rifles, in the same district on May 10. He had gone home to attend a cousin’s wedding. In September, militants killed BSF trooper Ram zan Par ray near his home in Bandipora.

After Lieutenant Fayaz’s killing, police issued an advisory asking security personnel not to visit their ancestral homes in the south Kashmir districts for at least six months.

The killings were widely condemned. Chief minister M eh boob a Mufti tweeted her condolence­s on the latest death.

“Such heinous acts will not weaken our resolve to establish peace…,” she wrote on Twitter.

 ??  ?? Irfan Dar
Irfan Dar

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