Militants abduct 7th civilian in Shopian
Militants release videos justifying the killing of abducted civilians
Suspected militants abducted, and later released, a young man in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Sunday, prompting a security review by top police officials who discussed, among other things, the seventh such kidnapping in four days. IG Swayam Prakash Pani rushed to south Kashmir, hours after Suhail Ahmad Ganaie was abducted from his home on the outskirts of Shopian where two militants were killed.
SRINAGAR: Security forces in Kashmir have gone into a huddle after another youth was abducted on Sunday by suspected militants in south Kashmir’s Shopian. He was later released. This is the seventh abduction since Thursday.
This is second time this year that militants have mass abducted civilians. However, this time the outcome of some of these kidnappings has been violent.
While an 18-year-old was sprayed with bullets on Thursday, a 19-year-old’s throat was slit on Saturday, as Hizbul Mujahideen commander Riyaz Naikoo issued an audio threat to police and Army informers.
Early Sunday morning, unknown gunmen abducted Suhail Ahmad Ganaie, from his home in Meemender village on the outskirts of Shopian at the same time when security forces killed two Al-Badr militants in an encounter in Rebban Zainapora area of the district. Suhail was later released.
KASHMIR IGP REVIEWS SECURITY SITUATION
Kashmir inspector general of police Swayam Prakash Pani, along with his deputy, rushed to the district on Sunday and held a detailed security review.
“We are looking into these cases. The culprits will be booked and peace will ensure,” said Pani.
On Saturday, five civilians were abducted from two separate places in Shopian. While four were let off, the throat of 19-yearold Huzaif Ashraf, a baker by profession, was slit.
His body was recovered from Hermain village of Shopian in the evening. Tragedy had struck the district on Thursday night when the bullet riddled body of Nadeem Manzoor Dar, an 18-year-old youth of Safanagri Shopian, was found in neighbouring Pulwama district. “Around 9pm, three to four armed men came to Man-
house looking for him. However, they left as he was not at home. Later at night we came to know through social media that Manzoor was abducted and killed,” said Manzoor’s brother.
A senior police officer said militants have become “insecure”. “After Burhan Wani’s killing, Shopian saw a surge in militancy which was brought under control after a lot of effort. We have killed 34 terrorists so far in 11 months.
This has made them insecure,” he said. The immediate trigger for abductions and subsequent killings came after two local militants, Mohd Idrees and Amir Hussain Rather were gunned down on November 6.
MILITANTS JUSTIFY KILLING
On Saturday, Hizbul Mujahideen released a video ‘confession’ of Nadeem Manzoor Dar, apparzoor’s ently shot before his killing on Thursday, in which he accepts that he informed the army about the presence of the militants in Safanagri. A voice, apparently of Hizb commander Riyaz Naikoo, follows Nadeem’s ‘confession’ justifying that they killed him for his “injustice” of informing the army which led to the death of two militants.
This is for the first time that such videos have been released by militants in Kashmir in the state’s 29-year-long insurgency.
“From now on we will expose only killing videos and whosoever will do treachery with this struggle will face the same fate,” Naikoo threatened in one of the audio messages. “Panch and sarpanchs will also get justice. They should wait for it. We just need five minutes of their five years,” the voice in the audio said.
‘WILL DEHUMANISE KASHMIRI SOCIETY’
Srinagar-based political scientist, professor Noor Ahmad Baba said such acts were triggered by “loss of hope” among the Kashmiris and will further dehumanise the Kashmiri society.
“Between 2002 and 2010, militancy had come down but that hope has disappeared now. It goes to the state coercion,” he said.
“Their (militant’s) aim is to scare people but for me it is a dehumanising situation. Many people were alienated from the state, now many people will be alienated from this kind of militancy and it will divide the society further. This will not deter potential informers as state has a way to get information,” Baba said.
A Shopian resident said a ‘course correction’ was needed. “Kashmiris are not insensitive to justify such killings. If you are saying we are fighting for people then you cannot justify such barbaric things. India can’t also take high moral ground because of extreme militarisation here. We need a course correction,” said the 33-year-old.