Hizbul Chief Denies Killing Lt Fayaz, Blames ‘Indian Agencies’

Two of the suspects were identified as Abass Bhat, the alleged mastermind of the attack, and Ahmed Thoker.

Ummer Fayaz was abducted by militants from his relative’s wedding and shot dead. (Photo: The Quint)

Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin has denied links with the abduction and killing of a young Army officer in Shopian district of Kashmir, said an Indian Express report quoting a local state agency.

Salahuddin called the act “condemnable” and blamed “Indian agencies” for murdering the officer “from a pro-freedom family’’.

Defence sources on Thursday said that six militants from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen were involved in the killing of Ummer Fayaz and that a massive manhunt has been launched to catch them.

The bullet-riddled body of 22-year-old Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz from Kashmir was found in Harmen area of Shopian on Wednesday morning, hours after he was abducted by militants from Batpura village.

Also Read: Can We Separate Ummer Fayaz’s Killing From Identity Politics?

Police investigating the case have told The Indian Express that witnesses have revealed to them that militants were led by local Hizbul Mujahideen operative Abbas Ahmad Bhat.

A suspect in Ummer Fayaz’s killing. (Photo Courtesy: CNNnews18)

Twenty-seven year old Bhat, who was wanted by the police were two earlier murders spent five years in jail as an under trial and was released on bail in April 2016. Local men Ishfaq Ahmad Thokar and Ghias-ul-Islam Thokar, are said to have accompanied Bhat and reportedly played a role in the murder of the young Lt Fayaz.

The phone records of the three-member group show they they were in the vicinity to the place of murder, at the time of murder.

Bhat’s house is just a few kilometers away from Lt Fayaz’s and it is likely that he knew of the army officer as not many students from the valley go on to join the army, said an investigating officer.

Also Read: Shopian Martyr Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz Would Have Turned 23 in June

A suspect in Ummer Fayaz’s killing. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/CNNnews18)

CNN News 18 reported that the attack was carried out with the help of rifles that were snatched earlier in Pulwama.

Investigation into the case is underway, and the police have found two empty INSAS rifle cartridges that are believed to have been used by militants involved in the killing.

Also Read: In Photos: The Funeral of a Slain Army Officer, Lt Ummer Fayaz

Lt Fayaz, son of a farmer and an avid sportsman, had gone to attend the wedding of the daughter of his maternal uncle at Batapura, about 74 kms from Srinagar, from where he was abducted by the militants around 10 pm on Tuesday night.

On his first leave since joining the Army, he was posted with 2 Rajputana Rifles in Akhnoor in Jammu region. His killing has triggered anger among the locals who demanded action against the culprits.

The Army had on Wednesday vowed to punish the killers of Lt Fayaz and said the incident marks a watershed moment in Kashmir Valley as people there will decisively turn the tide against terrorism.

Calling the attack a "dastardly act of cowardice" by militants, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley had said Lt Fayaz's sacrifice reiterates the nation's commitment to eliminate terrorism from the valley.

(Source: CNN-News 18, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times.)