Shopian engineering graduate who cleared NDA test joins Hizbul ranks

A photograph of Abid Nazir brandishing an assault rifle appeared on the social media on April 18.

An engineering graduate from south Kashmir’s Shopian district who reportedly cleared the written test of the National Defence Academy (NDA) may have joined militant ranks, a senior police officer said on Friday.

Shopian district has been restive this year, marked by the death of security personnel, militants and civilians in several encounters. (PTI File)

“As per available reports, Abid Nazir of Paddarpora village has joined the Hizbul Mujahideen. His family says he holds a B Tech degree from a college outside the state and has cleared the NDA written test. We are looking into the case, and the details are being ascertained,” the officer said on the condition of anonymity.

Police sources say Nazir, in his early 20s, studied engineering at a college in Punjab. He had gone missing from his home a few days ago.

On April 18, a photograph of the engineering graduate brandishing an assault rifle appeared on the social media. The accompanying caption claimed that he had joined the Hizbul Mujahideen under the code name Abu Bakr Bhai.

Of late, it has almost become the norm for young men in the Valley to announce their entry into militant outfits through social media by releasing photographs that show them brandishing weapons in fatigues.

Nazir’s case comes on the heels of a soldier — 23-year-old Idrees Sultan Mir of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry unit — joining the Hizbul Mujahideen on April 15. He also hailed from Shopian.

Shopian district has been restive this year, marked by the death of security personnel, militants and civilians in several encounters.