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Body of Kupwara youth missing for two months found in forest area
Police said the deceased, a resident of Kuprwara, was said to have been brought in for questioning by the army around two months ago, but fled from custody
The body of a Kupwara man who had been missing for two months was found in the forests of the area. The deceased was said to have been brought in for questioning by the army around.
Soon after he went missing in December, the family of Abdul Rashid, a driver by profession and a resident of Kunan Poshpora in Trehgam, Kupwara, said their house had been raided by the army on December 15. They said Rashid was taken for questioning by the army and they were later informed that he had escaped from custody.
Additional director general of police Vijay Kumar said the body was recovered from Kupwara forests on Wednesday. The body was handed over to the family after the postmortem.
Notably, villagers held protests seeking a probe into the death. Village sarpanch Khursheed Ahmad Dar said. “The family was informed that the body was found at Zirhama forests. After the postmortem, around 2 pm the body was handed over to the family. The villagers refused to bury the body till justice was served. We want to know if the youth was taken from his house and who killed him.”
Defence spokesman Col Emran Masuvi, meanwhile, said he has asked for the details and the statement will be released as soon as he receives it.
Rashid’s mother at the time of his arrest had said the 24-year-old was in the middle of dinner when he was taken by the army. “We called Sarpanch and then we handed over Rashid to the army officer. I hugged him and then they put him in a vehicle and drove away,” she had said. The family also held a protest in Srinagar.
“Police told us that the army did not inform them and they had come on their own without informing the local police,” she said, adding that the family had gone to the army camp the next morning, but were told that some investigation was still underway.
Kupwara senior superintendent of police (SSP) Yougal Kumar Manhas during a press conference in December said Rashid was picked up for questioning related to terrorism. “During preliminary inquiry, it came to fore that he had revealed about a hideout and when the army took him there, he slipped out. We are continuing searches to find him and are working on some clues,” he had said at the time.
