Minutes before the wreath-laying ceremony for Mushtaq Ahmad Lone at the Police Lines in Srinagar, the sombre gathering devolved into absolute chaos. His distraught family trooped in and took over the casket. They removed its cover to see the body of the officer killed in a terrorist attack in Srinagar yesterday.
Wailing women, overcome with grief, were seen hitting themselves and hugging the casket. A few even fainted. Amid loud cries and chaos, the police had a tough time removing the mourners and completing the ceremony.
The extreme anguish was rooted in the tragedies the family had to go through and the circumstances of the killing of two family members - father and son.
A wreath-laying ceremony was organised for Mushtaq Ahmad Lone in Srinagar.
Two years ago, the fallen officer's son, Aaqib Mushtaq, an engineering graduate, was killed in a controversial encounter in Kulgam. Police termed him a "terrorist associate". After the family contested the claim, the police promised an investigation, but the outcome was never made public.
Another son of the fallen officer is an army engineer. The family could not believe that their son could be a terrorist.
In April 2020, Aaqib was killed during a security operation a few kilometres from their home.
The police had said that there was an encounter with terrorists in Kulgam. At least four terrorists managed to escape, but during searches, they found the body of Aaqib Mushtaq. He was described as a "terrorist associate" by the police.
Relatives of Mushtaq Ahmad Lone at the funeral.
Like other killed terrorists, the body of Aaqib was not handed over to the family, and it was buried at a nondescript burial ground in Baramulla district, over 150 km from Kulgam.
On Tuesday evening, his police officer father Mushtaq Ahmad was leading a checkpoint at Lal Bazaar in Srinagar. Terrorists surfaced outside the GD Goenka School and started firing, killing the officer and injuring two other policemen.
The Resistance Front (TRF) has claimed responsibility for the attack. According to the police, three terrorists were involved in the attack.
Mushtaq Ahmad Lone was killed in a terrorist attack in Srinagar on Tuesday.
A terrorist propaganda arm, Amaq, released a video of the attack that appeared to have been shot using body cameras worn by the terrorists. It was one of the rare instances when terrorists released a video of an attack.
The police have said they hope to track down the terrorists with the help of CCTV footage.
"We are analysing CCTV footage. Whoever is found involved will be neutralised very soon," said senior police officer Vijay Kumar.
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