Youth abducted, killed by militants in Pulwama

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, August 13

A 24-year-old civilian was abducted and later shot dead by militants in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, the police said on Monday.

The slain has been identified as Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, a resident of the Murran area in Pulwama.

A senior police officer from Pulwama said Bhat was called out of his house on some pretext by unidentified militants late Sunday evening. “He was shot dead later in the night,” he added.

Bhat’s body was recovered in an apple orchard, not far from his home, early Monday morning. Local sources said the people who spotted the body informed the police. “He was shot multiple times,” a local said.

The J&K Police have blamed the Hizbul Mujahideen for the killing. “Initial investigation in the matter suggests that in this incident a group of terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen led by Zahoor Thokar and Showkat Dar is involved in this killing,” a police spokesman in Srinagar said.

The body was handed over to the family after medico-legal formalities. Hundreds of locals later in the day attended the funeral prayers.

Locals said Bhat worked as a salesman at an eye clinic in the Bijbehara area of Anantnag district.

Meanwhile, two overground workers (OGWs) were arrested by security forces for attacking and attempting to snatch the rifle of a bank guard in the Khrew area of Pulwama district on August 10. The bank guard had foiled the rifle-snatching attempt.

“During the course of investigation, it came across that two OGWs Yasir Ahmad Wani of Babapora and Yawar Sultan of Shar Shali Khrew were involved in the commission of crime and were subsequently arrested. The investigation of the case is still going on,” the police spokesman said.

Victim shot multiple times 

Gulzar Ahmad Bhat's body was recovered in an apple orchard, not far from his home, early Monday morning. Local sources said the people who spotted the body informed the police. "He was shot multiple times," a local said. Bhat worked as a salesman at an eye clinic in the Bijbehara area of Anantnag district, they said.