Days after Kashmir teacher’s custodial death, his friend ‘joins militancy’

Rizwan Pandit, a 29-year-old school teacher from south Kashmir, who was arrested in connection with a terror case on Sunday, died in police custody on Tuesday.

Days after the death of south Kashmir teacher Rizwan Pandit in police custody, his purported friend has joined militancy and announced it on social media in a video.

Paramilitary soldiers stand near closed shops during a shutdown to protest against the death of Rizwan Pandit, at Lal Chowk, in Srinagar on March 20. (Waseem Andrabi/ HT Photo)

A voice in the less-than-4 minute video behind a picture with name Shahid Manzoor claims that he was friends with Pandit and joined militancy as it was “better to die than live a life where ones honour was not safe”. While HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video, a senior police officer said that they are looking into its contents.

“...we will have to become like Shaheed Adil (suicide bomber who blew himself in a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in February),” the voice claiming to be Shahid Manzoor, a resident of Awantipora, said.

“...When I learnt that Rizwan was martyred, I joined militants...” he said in the video along with text Hizbul Mujahideen and date of joining March 19.

Rizwan Pandit, a 29-year-old school teacher from south Kashmir, who was arrested in connection with a terror case on Sunday, died in police custody on Tuesday, triggering outrage and protests in the Valley. His family has since accused police of torturing him to death in custody.