Zakir was dragged out of his house and killed by forces: Family
Zakir had joined militancy ranks just a few days before he was killed: Police
Srinagar: In a military operation against militants that commenced in south Kashmir’s Kulgam on June 30, 2021, the police had said that a team of armed forces killed three “unidentified militants” during the operation.
However, family members of one of the three slain in the operation, allege that their kin Zakir, 17, a resident of Chimmer village, where the operation happened, was a “civilian” and not a “militant”.
Zakir, according to the family, was “dragged out of his house and killed by the forces”.
“We were spraying pesticides in the orchard when Army launched a Cordon and Search Operation in the locality. We hurriedly left the fields and Zakir came home to have his meals,” Zakir’s brother-in-law, Farooq, who was assisting him in the field hours before his killing, told Free Press Kashmir.
In contradiction to what the family says, police, in a statement, said that Zakir was “missing since 18th June, and was one of the militants killed in Chimmer village.
Zakir, a passionate cricketer, was a school dropout and would spend most of his time working in the fields.
“Two days prior to the operation, on 28th of June, Zakir was excited to play a cricket match in his locality. He told his sister to help him with the work in the orchards so that he could take off early,” Farooq added.
“Zakir was not a militant. Would a militant play cricket in public?” Farooq asked, still trying to make sense of what had befallen his brother-in-law’s fate.
“The Army came and dragged him out and took him away,” he added.
Amid sobs, Zakir’s cousin, Mubeena, told FPK that her brother was “falsely accused of being a militant and killed”.
“We were not even called for the identification nor informed of the burial. It was through unofficial channels that we got to know that Zakir had been killed during the operation,” the family added.
On Wednesday evening, as the operation ended, police issued a statement saying “three militants were killed and their bodies retrieved from the spot”.
“In the ensuing operation, three militants were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. They have been identified as Waseem Ahmad Bangroo resident of Redwani Kulgam, Shahnawaz Ahmad resident of Kilbal Shopian, and Zakir Bashir resident of Chimmer Kulgam. All the killed militants were affiliated with proscribed LeT terror outfit (self-claimed TRF),” the police statement said.
“Pertinently, Zakir Bashir had recently joined the proscribed outfit,” the statement added.
Police said that the slain militants, as per police records, were part of the group involved in various “terror crimes.”
“Incriminating material including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter. In this connection, police have registered a case under relevant sections of law and an investigation has been initiated. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared off of all the explosive material, if any,” the statement said.
Rumors are being spread by vested interests that Zakir Naik, LeT terrorist killed in Chimmer on 30 June`21, wasn't a terrorist. Fact: he had joined terrorist ranks just a few days before he was eliminated. Don't belive in rumors. Legal action will be taken for spreading rumors.
— District Police Kulgam: official (@policekulgam) July 1, 2021
Meanwhile, Kulgam police in a tweet have termed the claims of Zakir being a civilian false and said that “he (Zakir) had joined the militancy ranks just a few days before he was killed”. “Legal action will be taken for spreading rumors,” Kulgam police tweeted.
Police have also taken a strong note of the “mischievous activity of some persons on social media sites who are making false claims that Zakir Bashir Naik was not a militant”.
“The claim is totally baseless. The fact is that he had joined militancy in June 2021 as confirmed from various field and intelligence agencies,” police said adding “he was the first person who used deadly force against armed forces cordoning the area. In self-defence, retaliatory action was undertaken in which he was killed”.
In this regard, SP Kulgam appeals to everyone to make use of social media platforms in a careful, positive and responsible manner. And warns all the “mischievous elements that whosoever attempts to instigate the public by spreading baseless rumours will be dealt with sternly”.
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