Suhail Khan
Kupwara: After nearly three months of being missing, the dead body of Abdul Rashid Dar, a youth from Kunan, was handed over to his family by authorities on Wednesday.
Locals from Kunan told Kashmir Despatch that Dar’s body was found in a nearby Zurhama forest area before being shifted to a hospital for medico-legal formalities. Upon the family’s identification, the body was released to them.
The news of Dar’s death has caused unrest in the area, with locals gathering to demand justice and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
The family had previously protested in Srinagar in December 2022, demanding the intervention from Lieutenant General Manoj Sinha.
According to Dar’s mother, Khera Begum, armed forces had taken her son from their home without providing any reason for his detention.
She pleaded with them, but they took him away, and the family was later informed that he had managed to escape from their custody.
The Senior Superintendent of Police, Kupwara, Yougal Manhas, had stated that Dar was being questioned in connection with a militancy case and managed to escape from the forces while on his way to a hideout.
“On his revelation about the hideout, he gave a slip to the forces. We are investigating in which circumstances he managed to flee. We are in touch with his family also,” he had said.
The circumstances surrounding Dar’s detention, disappearance, and subsequent death have raised questions and sparked protests in the area, with locals demanding accountability from the authorities.
