March 13
Shouldering the coffin of their sons, is the toughest job for fathers, however in Kashmir, the same has become a norm now. The weight of such a heavy coffin fell on the shoulders of Farooq Ahmad Khan, the father of slain militant Mudasir Ahmad Khan, who was killed in an encounter in Tral on Monday morning.
The Forces laid down a siege around a few houses in Pinglish Tral and an encounter soon raged between Militants and Forces, three Militants, all charred, were shot and then burnt to death.
“The security forces told me that one of the two completely charred dead bodies belonged to my son. I could not identify Mudasir’s body and had little choice other than pick one of them and go home and mourn”, Farooq Ahmad Khan said.
He said that the villagers had seen Mudasir that evening there and after the security forces told him they had killed his son, he had little choice other than believe the worst.
“We have taken samples from the family for DNA tests which would finally establish the identities of the two slain Militants in Pinglish village,” a senior police officer said.
Khan, 26, was a commerce graduate who initially worked for a cellular company. The security forces said he joined the militants’ ranks last January.
“Last year, security forces raided our house and told us to present Mudasir at the security forces camp the next day. Immediately following the raid, my son went missing till we saw his picture on the social media brandishing a weapon,” the father said.
Mudasir’s father said his advice and pleading with his son last year to surrender fell on deaf ears.
“He once came home last year. I begged him to surrender. But, he said after being accused of attacks on the security forces, he did not believe that surrender would be the right course of action for him,” his father said.