2 Kashmir villages mourn death of jawan, cop

Ehsan Fazili

Tribune News Service

Kralpora (Kupwara), Mar 22

Two serene villages in the remote area of north Kashmir are mourning the death of two security personnel, who lost their lives in the two-day-long gunfight with militants in the Halmatpora area, about 20 km from here.

Mohammad Ashraf Rather (35), a Territorial Army soldier from Reshigund village, and Mohammad Yousuf Baja (45), a special police officer (SPO) of the Special Operations Group of the J&K Police from Kachhama village in Kralpora area, were the only hope of livelihood for their poor families. As the families and relatives mourned their deaths, hundreds of people from adjoining villages converged on the two villages for participation in the last rites. Besides being sole breadwinners for their families, both security men had another thing in common. After toiling for years, they were to shift to their newly constructed houses soon.

Hundreds of people silently joined the funeral prayers of Mohammad Yousuf at Kachhama. The family and friends lamented the apathetic attitude of the successive governments for not having regularised the services of the SPO despite having served for nearly 18 years. Now, the only hope of the family is the deceased’s eldest son Iqbal, who has done MBA but is still unemployed.

Iqbal’s 11-year-old sister Showqeen sat in front of their house, unaware of the tragedy that had befallen on the family which was to shift to the newly constructed house on Thursday.

In the nearby Reshigund village, hundreds of locals waited for the body of Mohammad Ashraf Rather since Wednesday night. Ashraf is survived by wife Fehmeeda and two-year-old daughter Nafia. Ashraf was the only hope of sustenance for his extended family that also comprises his parents and six siblings — three brothers and three sisters. He had visited his home last Sunday and spent about an hour with the family.