Poonch terror attack: Man kills self after being called for questioning

The deceased had alleged harassment by the police

A 50-year-old man, who was reportedly called by the police for questioning in connection with the terror attack on an army vehicle in border Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on April 20, has allegedly died by suicide.

In a video message which went viral after his death, Mukhtar Hussain Shah, a resident of Nar village in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch, had alleged harassment by the police.

On Tuesday Shah reportedly consumed poison and he died at the Government Medical College, Rajouri on Thursday. He reportedly took the extreme step within hours of being asked to report for questioning in connection with the April 20 ambush by militants in the Bhatta Bhurrian forest that left five soldiers dead.

“Swear by Allah and the holy book that I did not help the militants in carrying out the attack. 200 to 500 innocent villagers are facing harassment and torture for no fault of theirs. People are facing harassment because of someone else’s mistake,” he was heard saying in his nearly 10-minute video message.

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“I want to appeal to all Muslims that we should come together and support the Army so that the bloodshed ends forever and we are relieved of the torture,” he said.

However, a police official said Shah was called for questioning like most of the residents of his village that is located near the ambush site. “We came to know he was facing domestic issues and was disturbed,” he said.

J&K police and other agencies have detained over 60 suspects as part of its probe to track the militants involved in the April 20 deadly attack in Bhatta Dhurrian, a notorious infiltration route for terrorists from across the Line of Control.

The police have already arrested a man who had allegedly sheltered the terrorists involved in the attack. The man identified as Nasir is learnt to have told the investigators that the terrorists had stayed for days at the house before the attack.