To avenge the death of their friend, rifleman Aurangzeb, 50 youth left their jobs in the Gulf to return back to Salani village in Mendhar, the hometown of rifleman Aurangzeb who was killed by terrorists in South Kashmir in June this year.

Indian Armyman, Aurangzeb who was abducted and killed by terrorists in Pulwama on June 14 when he was on his way home in Rajouri district for Eid celebrations, belonged to 4 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry and was posted at the 44 Rashtriya Rifles camp at Shadimarg in Shopian.

He was found murdered by a team of police and Army at Gussu village, about 10 km away from Kalampora, in Pulwama district.

Mohammad Kiramat and Mohammad Taj are among the 50 youths who left their jobs in Saudi Arabia to return permanently to Salani village, to join police and army for avenging the death of their friend and fellow villager Rifleman Aurangzeb.

“When we heard about the killing of brother Aurangzeb, we left Saudi Arabia the same day, and forcibly got ourselves relieved from the job. It can’t be done on the spot, but we managed somehow. 50 youth from this village returned with me. The only mission is to avenge the death of Aurangzeb”, said Mohammad Kiramat.

While Aurangzeb’s brother is a serving army man, his father Mohammad Hanief is a former Sepoy of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. 24-year-old Aurangzeb’s abduction and killing in June had sent shock waves in Jammu and Kashmir, compelling his family to make an emotional appeal to the Prime Minister, the Army and the Jammu and Kashmir government to eliminate militancy from the state and avenge his death.

However, brutality did not stop here, following which two policemen and one CRPF jawan were killed when they were on leave. After the abduction and murder of Aurangzeb, a pattern seems to be emerging in the valley, terrorists targetting security personnel who are on leave.

Reportedly, successful anti-terror operations being consistently carried out in the valley have frustrated terrorists and a series of brutal killings of local security forces personnel is a tactic adopted by terrorists to demoralize them and block human intelligence gathering.

“It is a temporary phenomenon and exists because of instigation from across the border. I am sure very soon this would be reversed and things would improve. We are going to take many steps in which the overground structure of these terrorists will be paralyzed”, said SP Vaid, DG Police, Jammu, and Kashmir.

The terrorists attempting to intimidate the security personnel, last month released a video, where an abducted SPO, Mudassir Wani, was made to appeal to the other SPO’s to quit their jobs and earn some other livelihood. But the Indian armymen-based in Jammu and Kashmir say they are undeterred by these threats.

“We won’t fear just because militants have issued a threat, militants are not responsible for doing this, but those handlers who are sitting in Kashmir and have given the orders to carry out such acts”, said Mohammad Qasim.

“We will perform our duties as we have been doing, we will keep giving sacrifices for our country despite the threats, many of our brothers have been martyred, for them as well”, said an SPO who didn’t want to be named.