A seventh standard student, who was killed in an encounter between militants and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Handwara area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Monday evening, was laid to rest at Sherri in Baramulla, where foreign militants are buried normally.
Hazim Shafi Bhat (14), a handicapped student from Qaziabad village of Kupwara, was killed on Monday when militants ambushed a CRPF patrol party near Wangam village on the Baramulla-Handwara road at about 5:30 pm on Monday. Three personnel of 92 Bn CRPF were also killed in the deadly attack.
Hazim’s cousin Aadil Bhat was quoted by a local news agency as saying that they were roaming in the field and he (Hazim) was grazing sheep when suddenly they heard gunshots from the distance.
“We ran. As I was running, I was reminded that Hazim was left behind. But when I went back to look for him, he wasn’t there. Later, his body was found near the shootout site, which is almost half-a-kilometre from his residence,” he said.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the slain boy, the only brother of three younger sisters, was laid to rest at Sheeri, Baramulla, graveyard with only 17 people attending his last rites, reports said.
Muhammad Shafi Bhat, Numbardar of the village, and uncle of deceased said that police informed them the body will be buried at Sheeri and only a few family members will be allowed to attend the last rites.
“At around 06: 30 am, we left along with a police team for the burial and at about 7:00 am Hazim’s funeral prayers were offered with attendance of 17 family members and some police officials,” he told reporters.
Earlier, the police, in a statement, said that a civilian was killed during the exchange of fire at Wangam crossing in Kralgund area stating that a case has been registered and further investigation is going on about the circumstances of this crime.