Kashmir: Day after shocking execution, body of another abducted teen found with slit throat

A day after a 17-year old youth was killed in Pulwama district on suspicion of being an Army informer, militants on Saturday, November 17, abducted and killed a 19-year-old in Shopian district in Jammu and Kashmir.

The abductions and killings coincide with the ongoing Panchayat elections in the state, which recorded 74.1 per cent polling in the first phase of Panchayat elections held on Saturday, November 17, in 47 blocks, including 16 blocks in Kashmir, 21 in Jammu and 10 in Ladakh region.

“On Saturday morning, militants walked into a bakery in Saidpora Payeen village and abducted three civilians. They killed one of them in a brutal act of terror and set the remaining two free in the evening,” police said.

A throat-slit body was found from an orchard area in Hermain village of the south Kashmir district. The deceased has been identified as Huzaif Ahmad Kuttay, 19, a resident of Manzgam area of the neighbouring Kulgam district.

Meanwhile, The Week reported that: “The militants released a video in which Huzaif is heard saying he gave a missed call to the Army to inform them about the presence of militants in the area where he had his friend had gone for a smoke. The Army cordoned off the village and killed two Hizbul Mujahideen militants.”

“In an audio message, Hizbul said it released the confessional statement of Huzaif in response to the discussion on social media about his murder. The militant outfit asked the people not to discuss the movement of militants to even their close friends. The Hizbul also warned that it will act against those who contest the Panchayat elections,” the report added.

On Thursday night, militants had abducted Nadeem Manzoor, 17, a resident of Safanagri area. His bullet-riddled body was found in Pulwama’s Niklora village during the pre-dawn hours on Friday.

On Friday evening, an unauthenticated video went viral in the Valley, showing unknown gunmen firing at a man at an undisclosed location. Some reports have identified the man as Nadeem. The purported clip shows the boy, a Class 11 student, sitting on the ground with his hands presumably tied up. One of the terrorists can be heard asking why he had gotten one of their colleagues killed. However, multiple shots ring out before the youngster could even answer, and he slumps to the ground motionless.

Early this month, a senior BJP leader and his brother were killed by militants in Kishtwar district, to derail the rural local body polls. The Jammu and Kashmir police, according to media reports, have identified two Hizbul Mujahideen militants — Osama Javed of Dachhan in Kishtwar district and Sajjad Khandey of Pulwama — as the men who shot BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit Parihar in Kishtwar on November 1.