Militants abduct three civilians in Shopian, kill one

AS PER REPORTS, TWO MORE CIVILIANS WERE ABDUCTED FROM MEEMENDER VILLAGE, POLICE VERIFYING FACTS

SRINAGAR:A 19-year-old man was killed in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Saturday, hours after he was abducted along with two other civilians by suspected militants, police officials said.

Police said the three civilians –Shahid Ganaie, Farooq Thokar and Huzaif Ashraf alias Raja Kandur– were taken away by militants from a bakery in Saidpora Payeen village of Shopian on Saturday morning.

Shopian superintendent of police (Sp)sandeep Choudhary said Huzaif Ashraf’s body was recovered from Hermain village of Shopian.

“He was kidnapped by terrorists in the morning from Saidpora …and was later killed,” the SP said while informing that the other two persons were allowed to go.

Police did not specify how the man was killed. However, local reports say that Huzaif’s throatslit body was recovered from the viilage.

Shahid and Farooq are residents of Saidpora Payeen, and Huzaif belonged to the neighbouring Manzgam village in Kulgam district. According to the villagers, Huzaif was a baker.

It is not clear why the three were abducted and only Huzaif was killed.

A police official said the trio had no ‘political or any other’ links which normally trigger such abductions by militants.

Meanwhile, local reports said that two more civilians were abducted from Meemender village of Shopian district on Saturday evening.

However, police officials said they were checking the authenticity of the reports.

This is the second incident of abduction and killing in the district in past three days.

On Thursday, a bullet ridden body of Nadeem Manzoor Dar, an 18-year old man from Safanagri was found in Pulwama district. Dar was abducted by suspected militants and taken to Niklora in Pulwama, where his body was recovered by the police.

Former chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abullah on Saturday said on Twitter, “Another dastardly killing of a young man, this time the terrorists slit his throat. This barbarism has no place in our society & no struggle, no matter how lofty the claims to justify it, can condone this inhuman behaviour. #Kashmir.”

The Bhartiya Janata Party has also condemned the killings and abductions, terming them as “totally senseless”. BJP’S state spokesperson Altaf Thakur said the police must take steps to stop the killing of youth after their abductions.