Baramulla: From past one month, at least six qualified students including two scholars according to police have joined militant outfit Hizbul Mujhadeen and Lashkar-e-Toiba in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Three of them belong to Pattan town while rest of them are from Apple Town Sopore.
Police sources told CNS that at least six youth including two postgraduate students who had gone missing from North Kashmir’s Baramulla district last month have joined militant ranks.
Police said that on May 14 last month, they received information that at least six youth in the age group of 20 to 23 have gone missing from Pattan and Sopore.
“We accordingly called their family members for clarification and they admitted that they are missing,” a top police official told CNS on condition of anonymity.
Sources said that two youth hail from village Brathkalan and one is from Duroo village of Sopore town. Another youth is from Lolipora Pattan while two more youth are from the same village Andargam Pattan.
Reliable sources in Counter Intelligence Unit identified these youth as Sameer Ahmad Wani (Duroo),Reyaz Ahmad Mir and Adil Ahmad Mir both residents of Brath Kalan Sopore, Ashiq Ramzan Wani resident of Lolipora Pattan and Mehraj-u-Din Bhat and Ishfaq Farooq Lone from Andargam Pattan. Mehraj-u-Din Bhat is MSc B.Ed.
A police official told CNS that Adil Ahmad Mir and Ishfaq Farooq Lone were the students of Barkatullah University Bhopal. “Ishfaq was doing M.Phil while Adil was pursuing Masters Degree in Economics and as per reports, both have joined militant ranks,” he said adding that there are reports that that two of them are roaming in Kupwara forests with Lashkar-e-Toiba cadres who are mostly non-locals.
The father of Ishfaq told CNS that his son was a meritorious student who secured distinction right from class 10th. “I fail to understand why he went missing and where he is. During my last meeting with him, he informed me that he along with his friends is going for a picnic. That was May 13 and after that he never returned,” Farooq Ahmed said.
Police said that another youth Ashiq Hussain Wani who went missing is a law graduate from Central University Kashmir. “Not a single FIR stands registered in any police station against these missing youth,” the official said adding that there are apprehensions that these youth could persuade more youth to join militant ranks. (CNS)