May 03
Skinder Gull
As the news of the death of Militant commander, Lateef Ahmed Dar alias Tiger reached his native in Dogripora in South Kashmir’s Pulwama, people stormed out on the streets amid mourning and sloganeering in utter disbelief.
In last year’s May, after the killing of Saddam Padder, the Director General of Jammu Kashmir Police had claimed that all members of Burhan Group were killed, however Lateef Tiger’s photos with new Militants who joined post Burhan Wani killing in July 2016 had gone viral over the internet.
Eyewitnesses told that the body of Lateef has been handed over to his family and is being brought to the funeral ground.
Lateef Ahmad Dar alias tiger son of Ghulam Hassan Dar resident of Dogripora village of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district is the one who eluded forces for the longest time among the Burhan group whose picture first went viral on social media.
With the killing of Hizb commander Saddam Padder in last year’s May, Lateef alias Lateef Tiger, survives and remains active from the infamous ‘Burhan group’ and is present in A++ militants carrying bounty of money on his head.
Sources said that after the death of Burhan Muzaffar wani, Lateef became the close aide of now HM commander Riyaz Naikoo, In Burhan’s group, Lateef has been wrongly given name of his friend ishfaq who joined ranks with tiger however was killed with his two associates at Pangzam village of Pulwama district in year 2015.
Lateef tiger a 12th class dropout and a carpenter by profession joined militant ranks along with his friend ishfaq in year 2014, A local sarpanch was killed and police arrested the duo as according to police both were accompanying the militants who killed sarpanch.
Both were booked under PSA and after spending few months in Kuthua, they were released a day before eid and were asked to report concerned police station after a week however after spending 3 to 4 days at home, they left home and after few days people came to know that they have joined militant ranks.
Ishfaq got killed and Lateef whose many pictures with Burhan wani, Zakir Moosa and Reyaz Naikoo have went viral, Named ishfaq hameed in photograph Lateef dar alias tiger was one of most wanted militants of kashmir and is carried the bounty of 10 lacs on his head.
His family members were also thrashed and arrested the last year, Today the mood was calm though, people prayed for the popular commander to be safe, a local from Dogripora in Pulwama told The Kashmiriyat.
Prayers were also held in a local mosque for patience to the Militant commander who was trapped in an Imam Sahib Village in Shopian, After nearly six hours, the gunfight was over, Lateef had been killed along with his two associates.
Women burst into wailing and the whole area reverberated with pro Freedom slogans and people from many far areas had come to get a last glimpse of the fallen Militant commander.