Grief and mourning struck the family of a 20-year-old shopkeeper who was shot dead in the Darazpora area of Shopian district in south Kashmir on Sunday morning.
Locals told The Kashmiriyat that the body of the 20-year-old was handed over to his family for last rites in Shopian’s Turkwangam area around 8 PM.
In less than a week, third civilian has been killed in the Kashmir region, two of them in “crossfire”, Jammu Kashmir Police said.
On May 10, Shahid Gani Dar lost his life in the Pandoshan area of Shopian. The Police said that he was killed in the crossfire. On Thursday (12 May), 2022, a Kashmiri Pandit was killed in Chadoora Budgam. Police said he was killed by Militants.
Early on Sunday, social media was abuzz with photos and videos from Shopian’s Darazpora where locals staged a protest demanding back the dead body of a Civilian killed in the area.
The 20-year-old was a shopkeeper named Shoaib Ahmed Ganie, a resident of Shopian’s Turkwangam.
The Jammu Kashmir Police tweeted, “Terrorists fired upon the joint patrol party of CRPF-182Bn/SOG of Pulwama near the bridge connecting Litter Pulwama with Turkwangam, Shopian. During the exchange of fire between militants and the joint team, one civilian namely Shoaib Ah Ganie, son of Ghulam Mohammed Ganie, a resident of Turkwangam, Shopian got injured. He was referred to District Hospital, Pulwama for treatment where he succumbed to injuries.”
The Police version, however, was refuted by several including the civilians, as per several reports.
NDTV reported a civilian as saying, “The Government forces were looking for somebody. Everyone was watching this. They said someone had escaped. He (Ganai) raised his both arms for security check but they fired at him. We demand a probe. What’s the safety of people working in fields if a shopkeeper is killed like this,” said an elderly man.
Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh also expressed sympathy with the family, as per the report.
News 18 report also quoted a civilian saying, “He is a shopkeeper and was some distance from the shop when he was shot at. He had raised his hands, but the three men in uniform fired at him. We must be told whether our young boys should go out or not.”