J-K trader shown wanted militant in police posters

SRINAGAR: Days after the J-K Police “identified” gunmen behind the recent killings in Sopore and plastered posters bearing pictures of two Hizbul Mujahideen militants, a 30-year-old businessman from Kupwara in north Kashmir has claimed the photo used to identify one of the suspects is his.

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 21

Days after the J-K Police “identified” gunmen behind the recent killings in Sopore and plastered posters bearing pictures of two Hizbul Mujahideen militants, a 30-year-old businessman from Kupwara in north Kashmir has claimed the photo used to identify one of the suspects is his.

The police had pasted posters of two top Hizbul Mujahideen militants — Qayoom Najar and Imtiyaz Ahamd Kandoo — in Sopore, accusing them of recent civilian killings in the area. The police also announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh each seeking information leading to the arrest of the two, who have been categorised “A++” militants. The businessman, Irfan Ahmad Shah, however, claimed the picture used in the illustration by the police to identify Hizbul commander Qayoom Najar was actually his and had been “lifted” from a photo taken by him at a tourist park in neighbouring Baramulla last year.

“I am really scared,” said Irfan. “I learnt about my photo figuring on the posters on Friday when some friends informed me that my picture was being shown on the television as one of the suspects in the series of killings in Sopore.”

“I was surprised to see my picture, which I had taken with my nephew during a picnic last year, on a police poster.

The picture has been cropped,” he said. Irfan along with Kupwara traders’ federation president later met the Superintendent of Police and pointed out the “gaffe”. “We met the Kupwara Senior Superintendent of Police and showed him the picture taken by me. He subsequently informed the Inspector General of Police,” said Irfan. His family, fearing for their safety, has lodged a complaint with the police.

Deputy Inspector General (north Kashmir) Gareeb Das said Qayoom’s illustrative photo looked similar to the businessman’s picture and the police were verifying the facts.

“There is a similarity in Qayoom’s sketch and Irfan’s photo. I have asked the head of SIT probing the Sopore killings to verify the facts,” Das said .