7 mysterious killings in Baramulla district in 6 days

Hizb militant gunned down by unidentified assassins in Tangmarg

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz 

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SRINAGAR, Sep 19: With the death of a father-son duo in a shootout in Sopore, followed by the assassination of a prominent militant of Hizbul Mujahideen in Tangmarg, as many as seven mysterious killings have occurred in Baramulla district, in North Kashmir, in the last 6 days.

Residents of Devbugh, on Kunzar Hardushora road, sighted an unidentified human body in combat fatigue in paddy fields early in the morning on Saturday. Police sources said that seven to eight AK-47 shots were found to have been fired on the chest of the unidentified person who was later on identified as Hizbul Mujahideen’s militant Fayaz Ahmad Bhat of Vailoo, Pattan.

At Kunzar, on Srinagar-Gulmarg Road, some people gathered and attempted to enforce a protest shutdown while pelting stones on the traffic. Police swung into action and forced the crowds to disperse. After the body's post mortem, the slain militant was buried at his village, Vailoo. Reports said that 500 to 700 people participated in his funeral procession and prayers.

Senior Police officials, including IGP Kashmir Javed Mujtaba Geelani, maintained to media that Bhat had been kidnapped and killed in Hizbul Mujahideen's internecine fued by a rival group. Quite a large number of the people seemed to believe that the Hizbul Mujahideen militant Bhat had been killed in group rivalry.

Officials told STATE TIMES that Bhat was believed to have been captured and killed by a rebel group of Hizbul Mujahideen during last night at a different place. His body seemed to have been thrown subsequently at a different place. No arms or ammunition were recovered from Bhat's combat uniform. "There were some blood stains but no empties at the spot where the body had been dropped", said an eyewitness.

Contrary to the Police and Army claims, which insisted that Police or security forces did not clash with any militant during last night, nor was anyone ambushed and killed by them, Hizbul Mujahideen’s operational spokesperson Burhan-ud-Din maintained that Bhat had been killed by Police and security forces in an encounter. 

On September 14, three militants of Hizbul Mujahideen were found killed in mysterious circumstances in Pattan area. After a day of silence, Hizbul Mujahideen claimed that all the three were its active members. It alleged that they had been killed by armed forces in custody. Next morning, ond more civilian was found dead in Kunzar area of Tangmarg.

On September 18th, unidentified assassins shot dead a former militant of Jamiatul Mujahideen, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, alongwith his 4-year-old son Burhan at Sagipora in Sopore-Handwara belt, raising the number of the mysteriously killed persons to six. With the Hizbul Mujahideen militant's assassination today, seven persons have been shot dead in almost identical situations in Baramulla district in the last 6 days.

Most of the mainstream and separatist leaders have severely condemned the killing of a civilian and his 4-year-old son at Sagipora. They include Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and the separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

In a statement, Geelani held government agencies responsible for all the seven mysterious killings including that of the former militant and his young son. He called for Kashmir shutdown in protest of these killings on Sunday. Geelani suggested that there was a link between this week's mysterious killings and the Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parikar's statemen in which he had said that India had a right to use terrorists against terrorists.

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[Published in today's STATE TIMES]