February 10
A Ph.D Scholar turned militant, Waseem Ahmed Rather from Quimoh area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam District is likely trapped at the encounter site in Kulgam.
Sources told The Kashmiriyat that Waseem Ahmed was initially trapped at the encounter site, however some MIlitants have escaped from the encounter site in Dangerpora Kelam.
An encounter raged when 9 RR of Indian Army, 18 BN of CRPF and Jammu Kashmir Police were fired upon by Militants during a cordon and search operation in the area.
Immediately the troops cordoned off the area during which the holed up Militants opened fire on the troopers triggering an encounter.
ALSO READ: The Death of his Friend Forced a Ph.D Scholar to Join Militancy
Waseem Ahmed Rather was initially trapped along with his three to four associates, Sources told The Kashmiriyat.
Waseem, a PhD scholar has joined Militant ranks in May last year.
Locals from Quimoh said that the death of his friend Adil Ahmed who was killed during clashes near an encounter site on May 06 in Badigam Shopian was the sole reason behind this PhD Scholar joining Militancy.
Waseem has joined the Militant outfit Hizb ul Mujahideen and is survived by old aged parents and a brother.
South Kashmir districts have witnessed a surge in youth joining the Militant ranks after the encounter of Burhan Wani on July 08, 2016. Despite the Indian Army having launched ‘Operation All Out’ and intensifying the Anti Militancy operations, the local Militancy is on rise.
Militancy this year has seen a huge rise after the three encounters that raged on a single day on April 01 in South Kashmir ending with the death of 13 local Militants.
The Himalayan region has seen large number of youth picking up arms since an armed insurgency began against the Indian rule in 1988. Since their partition both India and Pakistan have fought three wars claiming the region in its entirety. (The Kashmiriyat)