Wake up dadu: 3-year-old boy cries near grandfather's body, who died in Jammu & Kashmir's Sopore militant attack

A heart-wrenching picture of a three-year-old boy sitting by his dead grandfather, who was killed in a militant attack in north Kashmir's Sopore town Wednesday, went viral on social media.

Reports said militants opened indiscriminate fire on a CRPF patrol party of 179 Battalion near Model Town, Sopore, 52 kms from Srinagar, at around 7:35 am.

Read: 1 CRPF personnel, one civilian killed in terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir's Sopore

One personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and a civilian were killed while three other security force personnel were injured in the attack, officials said.

In the picture, the child, who had a miraculous escape, is seen sitting on the blood-splattered body of his grandfather.

Kashmir police also tweeted a photo of the child being carried to safety by a policeman. The tweet reads: “JKP #rescued a three years old boy from getting hit by bullets during #militant #attack in #Sopore.”

The child was trying to wake up his dead grandfather unmindful of the reality that the latter was no more.

The little boy identified as Ayaad was travelling along with his grandfather Bashir Ahmed Khan (65) from Srinagar to Sopore, where oversaw the progress in construction work at one of his projects. Khan, a contractor, was heading towards the construction site in Sopore Wednesday morning, unaware of the bloody cross-fire on his way that lay in store for him.

What added to the grief of the family members was a video showing the 3-year-old boy in a police vehicle, speaking in broken Kashmiri, “be gache gare (I want to go home)”.

Policemen provided him with a bunch of chocolates and rolls of biscuits to console him and bring him out of shock.

Another picture that went viral shows a CRPF jawan asking the little boy to come towards him. It is speculated that the image was most likely taken when the exchange of fire was on.

At the HMT residence of the slain Khan, in the outskirts of Srinagar, a pall of gloom descended upon the family and the locality.

“My father has been killed and those who killed him should be killed as well. Didn’t they see a little kid along with my father,” cried Khan’s daughter.

Khan’s son alleged that his father was dragged out of his vehicle and shot at by the Security Forces.

However, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sopore Javaid Iqbal said that the dead man first tried saving his grandson was hit by bullets in between.

“There were many other vehicles stuck at the spot due to the attack. They left their vehicles behind and ran for cover. Unfortunately, one of the civilians was hit by bullets and died,” he said.