On Sunday morning, a civilian was killed near CRPF camp in Babapora area of Zainapora Hamlet in South Kashmir’s Shopian district. Police officials informed that he was killed during cross-firing after CRPF party retaliated against the militant action in the area. The Police said that CRPF party was out for area domination when militants fired upon them, to which the CRPF retaliated.
After the credentials of the deceased were ascertained, it emerged that the deceased was Shahid Ahmed Rather son of Aijaz Ahmed Rather from the Nowpora area of Bijbehara in Anantnag. In the meantime, a photo of the deceased wearing a pheran and lying in a pool of blood, against a vehicle went viral on social media. Besides Shahid’s dead body were a few apples, visibly scattered out of the carry bag he had held.
The Kashmiriyat reached the deceased Shahid’s home, where we learned that the apples were for his sister Mehvish. Shahid (20) was a labourer who quit studies after 10th grade so he could help uplift his family out of poverty.
“He quit his studies because of the poor conditions of his family. Our father works as a labourer,” Mehvish said. He was handicapped and could barely move his hand. Shahid went to Shopian a week ago, Mehvish told The Kashmiriyat.
He had called his family on Friday evening promising that he would return home on Saturday (the next day). Due to the inclement weather, however, Shahid was stuck in Shopian as several roads remained blocked as an aftermath of the untimely snowfall in the Kashmir valley.
On Sunday, Shahid was expected to reach home. However, he did not, and instead, a rush of wailing Kashmiris reached their house located in the Nowpora area of Bijbehara in Anantnag. They brought along the news that Shahid had been killed near a camp of Central Reserve Police Force while he was on his way back home.
The 20-year-old Shahid had promised his younger sister Mehvish over the phone that he would get her apples from Shopian. “He also told his mother that he would bring along vegetables from the market,” she said. Mehvish said that the authorities should hand over the body of her slain brother to the family.
Shahid’s killing comes at a time when the civilian killings in Kashmir have caused widespread concern and security in the region has been tightened. There are several reports suggesting that more CRPF companies have been deployed in the valley. These developments also coincide with the Union home minister Amit Shah’s visit to the valley.
Immediately after the incident, the mobile internet services were snapped in Zainapora belt of the south Kashmir’s Shopian district.
“He had not gone to bring a gun. He was there to earn his livelihood and provide for his family,” one of the wailing women at Shahid’s house said. Another woman lamented that it was getting tough for Kashmiris to move out of their houses for activities as minute as daily chores.
The agitated locals poured to the residence in complete disbelief of Shahid’s death. An angry woman while leaving the house of the slain cried addressing the grief-stricken crowd, “Today it is the son of these poor parents. It will be yours tomorrow. We all will have to face this.”
Former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, after the incident took to Twitter to say that the “shoot first” policy will further alienate Kashmiri people.
“He was shot dead & his bag has no weapons or explosives, he’s carrying fruit & vegetables. This policy of “shoot first” will further alienate people. This is no way to make friends with the people or the youth of Kashmir,” tweeted Abdullah.
Meanwhile, the former Chief Minister and the PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, too, paid condolences to Shahid’s family and said that the armed forces showed “little restraint” and operated with “such impunity.”
“Another innocent civilian killed allegedly by CRPF in Shopian today. It’s sad that armed forces show little restraint & operate with such impunity. My heartfelt condolences to his family,” Ms. Mufti said.