Hizb killed Kashmiri lieutenant
INSAS shell casings found at spot indicate use of weapon snatched from police
SRINAGAR: Militants of the homegrown outfit Hizbul Mujahideen abducted and killed off-duty army officer Ummer Fayaz in Kashmir’s Shopian, possibly with arms snatched from security forces, a top police officer said on Thursday.
Two news agencies quoting defence sources, however, said six militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were involved in the killing of Ummer, a 22-year-old lieutenant who was on leave for the marriage of his cousin sister.
The army has termed the killing of the young officer, which has sparked outrage across the country, a “watershed moment” that will turn the people of Kashmir against militancy.
“A local Hizbul Mujahideen module was involve(in the killing). Though we have identified the militants, their names cannot be revealed immediately,” inspector general of police Javeed Gillani said.
Investigators recovered two empty cartridges of INSAS rifle from the spot where the officer’s body was found on Wednesday. The officer was shot twice.
A probe was on to check if these were the same cartridges snatched from policemen a few days ago, he added. The made-inIndia INSAS rifles are used by police as well as the army deployed in the valley for counter-insurgency operations.
“Although police are yet receive the post-mortem report, preliminary examinations revealed there were no torture marks on his body,” Gillani added, refuting reports that militants assaulted the officer before shooting him dead. The Hizbul Mujahideen is the only homegrown militant outfit in Kashmir battling security forces. The killing of one of its leaders, Burhan Wani, by security forces last year had sparked violent street protests that left nearly hundred people dead, including security personnel.
Hundreds of others, including children, were blinded by pellet guns fired by security forces, stoking public anger. Police said around 200 militants are operating in the valley, out of which around 88 are local youth hailing from South Kashmir.