Srinagar: Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed the youth killed in north Kashmir on Wednesday evening was a party worker, the J&K Police today claimed that the Lashkar-e-Toiba was behind the killing.
Arif Ahmad, 26, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen outside his home in Harwan Unisoo village of Sopore in Baramulla district on Wednesday evening. Ahmed was laid to rest today amid “pro freedom” slogans and protests in the area.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, North Kashmir, Vidhi Kumar Birdi blamed militants for the killing of youth.
“Our investigation has so far found that Lashkar men were behind the killing,” Birdhi told The Tribune. “Further investigation in the case is underway.”
Ahmed’s father Mohammad Maqbool Sofi said his son was taken by the gunmen and shot at point-blank range around 7 pm on Wednesday.
He was shifted to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead,” Sofi said. Sofi is a known figure in the area and has remained associated with separatist groups. Ahmed was the lone bread-earner of the six-member family.
BJP state president Sat Sharma and state general secretary (Organisation) Ashok Kaul in an official statement said Ahmed was a party worker.
Pained to learn about the brutal murder of our worker in Sopore. Terrorists must realise that they cannot stop the youth of the Valley from choosing a better future for themselves,” they said in a statement. However, the family of the youth denied the BJP claim, saying it was “baseless.”
Meanwhile, the chairman of the moderate Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed the killing cowardly. “Killing of human beings in every form is cowardly and against humanity,” Mirwaiz tweeted.
‘Clear stand’
Srinagar: Reiterating that killings are no solution to resolve political issues, Awami Ittehad Party, headed by independent legislator Engineer Rasheed, has appealed to the militant outfits to clear their stand on the killing of Arif Ahmad Sofi (25) in Sopore. Protests erupted in Unisoo village of north Kashmir on Thursday morning against Sofi’s killing by unknown gunmen on Wednesday evening at Harwan in Sopore. Party spokesman Maajid Banday, in a statement issued on Thursday, said while people had least hope from the administration to find out the truth, the other side needs to clear the confusion over the killing. TNS