Top police sources told The Hindu that the deceased Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz, a resident of Sursona, Kulgam, attending a family wedding in Batapura, Shopian, was sitting in the first storey of the house when he was abducted and subsequently killed.
The police suspect that one of the five recently-snatched service rifles were used by local militants known to people attending the wedding.
Neighbours and relatives recall Lieutenant Fayaz as a shy and unassuming Army officer. “Fayaz never discussed politics in volatile Kulgam,” said Irshad Ahmad, a neighbour.
“Three armed militants took the stairs and knocked at a room where 22-year-old Lt. Fayaz was sitting. He was asked by the militants to accompany them, which he did without any resistance,” said the police official.
The incident took place around 10 p.m. on Tuesday. The police said that one of the three militants “was local and known to people”.
‘No resistance’
“There was no resistance as locals believed that he would be released after negotiations,” said the official.
However, bullet-riddled body of the victim was spotted on Wednesday morning at a nearby area.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani said the preliminary investigation points towards Hizbul Mujahideen militants.
“We believe it was carried out by local Hizbul Mujahideen militants. We are investigating if the service rifle looted from the Shopian court recently was used by the militants,” said Mr, Jillani.
Around five policemen were disarmed by militants in Shopian on May 2.
Son of an orchard farmer, the victim was born in 1994 and joined the Army on December 10, 2016. He belonged to 2 Rajputana Rifles and was known for skills in hockey and basketball.
There was rare outrage over the Army officer’s killing online by netizens in the Valley.
“This man was unarmed and non-combatant. Which struggle calls for killing an unarmed non-combatant, that too who was attending a wedding and was a soft target. Such acts must stop,” wrote Irshad Ahmad on Facebook.
