Shopian Encounter: Militant Bids Poignant Adieu to Family on Call

The militant, Eitmaad Hussain Dar, a resident of Amshipora, Shopian, who joined Hizbul Mujahideen last November.

A poignant conversation between a father and his militant son, who was trapped in a security cordon and killed in an encounter shortly after, has gone viral on social media in Kashmir, Hindustan Times reported on Saturday, 7 April.

On Saturday, 31 March, at around 10:30 pm, seven militants entered the house of a farmer named Mohammad Maqbool Lone, Firstpost reported. Lone’s family members were trapped inside the house along with the militants as an encounter with the security forces ensued.

The militant son, Eitmaad Hussain Dar, was a member of Hizbul Mujahideen in south Kashmir’s Shopian. He was killed along with his four accomplices in the gunfight in Kachdoora village, the Firstpost report added.

Dar, 28, was an MPhil degree holder and junior research fellow until he joined the militant group last November, the HT report noted. The conversation between him and his father, which lasted for about five minutes, began with Islamic greetings. Dar can then be heard asking his father for forgiveness in the audio released by Firstpost.

‘You Were God’s Gift, Now I Will Return You to Him’: Father to Son

"Logsaya (may I perish for you), I couldn’t fulfil my promise. Now I can’t tell it,” the militant can be heard telling his father in the recording. His father, weeping, then responds saying, “See, I can’t tell you to surrender, can I?”

Dar then answers saying, “I can’t... You should remain happy.”

According to the Firstpost report, Dar’s father then goes on to ask if there is any chance that he can escape from the site, saying “If you can escape, do it, if not then what can be done.”

Then, Dar’s father goes on to ask if there is any chance of escape, and about one of the other militants called Abrar, asking if the latter has attained martyrdom. To this Dar responds saying, “No, we tried a lot to escape. Abrar bhai has been hit injured.”

The determined father then tells his son to “You were god’s gift to me. Keep courage. Now I will return you to him.”

When his father asks Dar if he has any last wishes, the phone is taken by injured Abrar (alias Ishfaq Thokar), the Firstpost report says.

“Excuse me, a bullet has hit me in the head. I feel drowsy, can’t talk much. Ali bai and Saifullah Bai have left,” he says before the conversation ends.

Please Forgive Me, I am Trapped: Dar to Brother

Before talking to his father, Dar had talked to his young brother on the same phone call and sought forgiveness for his mistakes. “Please forgive me for my mistakes. I am trapped (in an encounter)”.

Superintendent of Police in Shopian said the conversation sounded authentic and that the militant was indeed Dar.

Eitmaad is crying in the conversation.

Shriram Ambarkar Dinkar, SP, Shopian to HT

The other three militants killed in the encounter were Aqib Bashir, Sameer Lone and Gayas ul Islam, belonged to all residents of south Kashmir. Three soldiers – Lance Naik Nilesh Singh, Gunner Arvinder Kumar and Sepoy Hetram – were also killed in the operation, the HT report added.

(With inputs from Hindustan Times, Firspost)