Second militant killed in Soura identified

Suhail A Shah

Kulgam, December 16

The second militant gunned down in an encounter in the Soura area of Srinagar on December 5 was identified on Tuesday and his body handed over to his family in the Arwani area of Kulgam district.

One of the militants who had been killed was identified as Lashkar commander Qari Asrar, a foreign national. The third escaped in a white Santro car and a hunt was on to nab him.

The other slain militant, whose identity was not established immediately after the attack, was buried in the Soura area.

Following the burial, Muhammad Shafi Malik of Arwani village in Kulgam moved an application before the Srinagar Deputy Commissioner, claiming that the unidentified militant was his son.

The body was exhumed in the presence of a magistrate and relatives of the militant, who identified him as Shahid-ul-Islam Malik.

The body was handed over to the family after completing legal formalities. This information was given a press note by the police.

Shahid’s family maintained that he was 19 years old. Police sources said he was active as a militant since the last six months.

Hundreds of people assembled in the Arwani area on Tuesday to participate in Shahid’s funeral.

The police stated that Asrar had been involved in a number of militancy related incidents earlier, including the attack on Hotel Silver Star on the Nowgam bypass in October 2012.