Suspected militants shot dead an 85-year-old civilian, Ghulam Mohammad Dar, when he was returning home on Saturday night after performing prayers at a mosque at Dogripora, in the vicinity of the garrison township of Awantipore, in southern Kashmir.
DIG Vijay Kumar told The Hindu that the unidentified assailant fired a single shot at Mr. Dar’s head from a pistol. He died on the spot. The DIG said that Hizbul Mujahideen hand was visible behind the killing, though no substantive evidence was immediately available.
Mr. Dar’s son Shaban is currently a Peoples Democratic Party activist and Sarpanch in his area. His nephew Waseem was a militant with the Hizbul Mujahideen and died in an encounter with the security forces in January.
