SRINAGAR: A retired police officer on Sunday was shot dead by terrorists while he was giving the call for morning prayer (azaan) in a mosque in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Mohammad Shafi Mir, 71, was shifted to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him “brought dead”. Immediately after the incident, a contingent of police, CRPF and army rushed to the area and launched a search operation to track down the attackers.
The postmortem of the deceased police officer has revealed that Mir was shot with a 12-bore rifle and had splinter injuries, police sources said. “We are investigating all angles including any possible rivalry,” sources added.
Mir, who retired as senior superintendent of police, regularly used to give the azaan at the local mosque.
He had retired in 2012 and was living in his native village. He is survived by wife, two sons and a daughter.
A pall of gloom descended the entire village as the news of his death spread and everyone is mourning.
Mir’s cousin Abdul Karim said he heard a loud noise through the loudspeaker while his cousin was giving the call for azaan.
“At first I thought he might have fallen due to high blood pressure and didn’t pay much attention. However, a few minutes later, my daughter came running to me saying ‘uncle Shafi has been shot dead’.”
The killing has evoked widespread condemnation from political parties and even from separatist Hurriyat Conference.
“Such killings are a blot on humanity and bring disgrace to the people and place where they are committed,” a spokesman of Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said.
The family of the slain police officer have sought justice and demanded that killers be brought to account for this senseless inhumane act.
“Investigating agencies must thoroughly probe the incident and ensure that such incidents are not repeated,” the locals said.
Army search goes on
The army continued its search operation in and around Poonch and Rajouri districts for terrorists involved in the killing of four soldiers. On Thursday, two army vehicles were ambush-ed killing four soldiers