Valley’s women and girls are safe now: IGP Civilian killed as protests flare up
Slain Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abu Dujana was allegedly involved with several women in Kashmir and had even married one of them, officials said on Tuesday, describing the militant as a terror for women in the valley.
Dujana, 27, was killed early on Tuesday at Hakripura in Pulwama district, allegedly while visiting a woman believed to be his wife.
Kashmir director general of police SP Vaid confirmed that Dujana was married but said it was not clear if the LeT commander had gone to meet her.
“He had married a local Kashmiri girl, today also he had gone to meet a girl, (but) can’t be sure if it was the same girl,” Vaid said.
The GOC of 15 Corps, Lt Gen J Sandhu, told reporters that Dujana was less into militancy off late and more into “aiyashi”, a Hindi word that translates to debauchery.
“He was not really involved in many attacks, vo yahan aiyyashi kar raha tha bas, was a nuisance,” the army official said.
Kashmir inspector general police (IGP), Muneer Khan, also hinted that Dujana was involved in “harassment of girls”.
“I want to tell woman and girls in the valley that they are safe now,” Khan said.
Another LeT militant was also shot dead along with Dujana while a civilian was killed when security forces fired on stonepelting protesters at the encounter site. Locals in the village and elsewhere said Dujana had gone to meet his wife, whom he had married sometime last year.
They said the woman hails from Singoo village near Kakapora in Pulwama. “It (the marriage) was during 2016 when the LeT maintained a low profile,” a source added.
The marriage, sources said, could have been the reason for his rift with his-Pakistan-based handlers. Dujana was challenged by one of his aides, Abu Ismail, who set up a rival faction along with some Kashmiri youth. Sources said most of militant incidents involving LeT were carried out by the rival group, including the attack on Amarnath pilgrims.
Intelligence sources said Dujana was named the LeT commander for Kashmir valley after the death of Abu Qasim, the mastermind of an earlier attack on a BSF convoy in Udhampur in 2015.
However, Dujana was disarmed by his group after the rift surfaced a few months ago.
A few months ago the lesser known Abu Ismail was made the LeT chief in the valley.
“In recent times, he (Dujana) was not involved in any major terrorist attacks, he just had nuisance value,’” Lt Gen Sandhu said. Dujana had many close calls earlier. In May, he managed to escape after a mob pelted stones at security forces.
A civilian was killed in south Kashmir and several others injured as protests erupted across Kashmir and mobile internet services snapped following the news of killing of top Lashkar militant Abu Dujana on Tuesday.
Firdous Ahmed was hit by a bullet as forces fired to quell protest by civilians near the encounter site against Dujana's killing. He was brought dead to a local hospital, officials said.
A resident of Begumbagh, Kakapora area of Pulwama district, he is survived by his threeyear-old daughter and pregnant wife. Eyewitnesses said Ahmed was offered four rounds of funeral prayers by hundreds of mourners.
In Srinagar, minor clashes between forces and students erupted near various educational institutes including those in commercial hub Lal Chowk.
At least six other persons were injured in security forces’ action against the protestors.
An official said that over 100 “miscreants” started pelting stones at security forces involved in the anti- militancy operation in Hakripora area of Pulwama.
In Kashmir University, too, there were some protests against the killing. Similar reports same in from Kulgam, Handwara and Pulwama. As a precautionary measure, the administration ordered the closure of colleges and schools in Kashmir for the day.
Meanwhile, mobile internet services were snapped across the Valley to avoid any deterioration of the law and order situation.
Meanwhile Union minister Kiren Rijiju and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah hailed the security forces after the encounter.
“The security forces are taking proper action, be it in Jammu and Kashmir or in some other part of the country, and they are taking firm steps in respective cases,” said Rijiju.
Abdullah hoped the forces will continue to do “such good work”. “I hope they will continue to do this good work so that there is peace in our state,” he said.