Panic gripped north Kashmir’s Pattan belt on Monday afternoon after people found bullet-riddled bodies of three men from an orchard. The men in their twenties had torture marks and bullet wounds on their bodies. Two of them have been identified as militants of lashkar-e-Islam (leI), a breakaway group of Hizbul Mujahideen.
A police spokesman said the two youths were militants and identified as Ashiq Ahmed Wani, and Amir Ahmed Reshi. Wani, a resident of lolipora village of Pattan was an active militant of Hizbul Mujahideen since joining the outfit in June, 2104. Of late, he had aligned himself with the breakaway group leI led by Qayoom Najar, who is wanted for his role in killing several civilians associated with mobile telephony in June this year.
Reshi,a resident of Hardshiva village in Sopore had gone missing since July 15. His family had filed a report in Bomai police station on July 17 but there was no trace of him till his body was found. Police suspect that Reshi had also joined militant ranks. The identity of third youngster was not ascertained till late in the evening.
The deaths, reminiscent of heydays of militancy in Kashmir are seen as a result of inter-group clashes. The separatists especially Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Geelani and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin had described Qayoom Najar and his leI outfit as “anti-resistance movement” after they issued warnings to mobile telephone operators to shut their shop and carried out several target killings in Sopore and Pattan belts of north Kashmir in June this year. The leI also targeted several former militants and an aide of Geelani in Sopore.
The leI outfit claimed they were “genuine pro-freedom group” and vowed to cleanse the separatist movement of “pro-India elements”. Interestingly, police have declared Najar and his aide Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo as proclaimed offenders and announced bounty of Rs 10 lakh each for any information leading to track them down.
Eyewitnesses said the two bodies had clear torture marks with nails removed and cigarette butt burns on arms and limbs. They alleged that it seemed they have been tortured for many days before they have been shot and killed.
Normal life came to a grinding halt in Palhallan, Pattan and Baramulla towns after the bodies were found and their images went viral on internet.
Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani, Opposition Congress State Chief G A Mir and ruling PDP General Secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir expressed sorrow and anguish over these deaths. The Mirwaiz Umar Farooq led Hurrriyat Conference spokesman strongly condemned the killings and said that the gruesome incident raises suspicion and needs to be investigated and the culprits brought to book.