Kin of Muslim SPOs killed by ultras help in last rites of slain Hindu cop

Terror activities in the valley should end: Slain J&K SPO’s son

BATAGUND KAPRIN (Shopian): At 6:30 am on Friday, 74-year-old Abdul Rashid Dhobi was performing the Fajr, the dawn namaz, in the Hanfi mosque when he heard long, anguished shrieks from his daughter-in-law. A frantic Abdul immediately left the mosque and moved towards his home as fast as his aged legs would permit, almost slipping a couple of times in his haste.As he neared his home, he saw his worst fears come true. Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were in the process of dragging away Abdul’s son, Nisar. His wife, Ruksana, was running after them, pleading with them to let her husband go. The men thrashed her even as Nisar struggled to free himself and come to her aid."My father-in-law removed his holy cap and put it before them. So did some others who were at the namaz and had followed him," Ruksana told TOI, weeping inconsolably. “They crushed the caps under their feet and walked away.”As the Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists dragged his son away, Abdul Rashid Dhobi limped after them for almost a kilometre, begging the abductors in the name of Allah to release Nisar. Another 23 elderly men, and many village women, accompanied him, all pleading for mercy. There was none.Two days on, the village is still struggling to come to terms with the events of that traumatic dawn. Nisar's son, Tabin, had jumped out of the window and injured himself when the terrorists took away his father. Nisar's daughter, Insha is uncertain if she could continue her career in medical studies as their father was the only bread-winner in the family. Yudhvir, the nine-year-old son of Kulwant, another of the three SPOs killed that day, has been hospitalised after he fainted seven times in 48 hours. That day, he and and his grandmother had chased after the terrorists, trying to rescue Kulwant. Their valiant effort failed, and Yudhvir is haunted by regret.Regret — and bitterness — is also evident in the voice of of Ruksana, wife of Firdaus Kuchay, the third cop killed that day. “Why would I ever send my child to the police force? My husband had come to take retirement. He had already decided to give up his police job as he could not put up with threats from such men and that pressure at work. He fought for Kashmir and got no security for himself,” laments Ruksana.