My son died, but don’t stop sending your own to Army : martyred jawan's father Mohammad Haneef
“MY SON has died but if all people stop sending their children to the Army, then who will fight for the nation?’’ Mohammad Haneef is waiting under the shadow of a tree near his single-storey home in Salani village on the Mendhar-Poonch road for the body of his 24-year-old son Aurangzeb, a soldier posted with 44 Rashtriya Rifles, who was abducted and killed Thursday by militants. “Jebi” was on his way home for Eid, and Haneef is devastated. And yet, the 55-year-old ex-serviceman insists, he is far from broken. “Death has to come one day. I had got him recruited in the Army to serve the nation. A soldier’s job is to kill the enemy or get killed,” he says.
Aurangzeb was the fourth among ten children, including four girls, of Haneef and Raj Begum. Haneef’s eldest son Mohammad Qasim is in the Army while two of his younger sons, Mohammad Tariq and Mohammad Shabir, are set to join the armed forces. Tariq has cleared the written and physical tests, and was in Pune for the medical test on June 22. Shabir has cleared the physical and medical tests, and is preparing for the written test on July 27. “We are a family of soldiers,” says Haneef, the father. But inside his house, Aurangzeb’s mother Raj is inconsolable. Haneef says they came to know about the abduction around 4.30 pm from an Army unit posted in the area. “My wife and I had gone to Kasbalari village nearby when she answered a call on my mobile phone from someone asking for me in Urdu. She disconnected the phone. Later, when I called back, I came to know that it was from Rashtriya Rifles… they told me that Aurangzeb has been abducted,’’ he says. Also “It was then that I told my wife, ‘Jebi nu militant le gaye’ (militants have taken Aurangzeb). The Army informed me about his killing around midnight, but Raj came to know about it only this morning when relatives started arriving,” says Haneef.
Raj’s brother Mohammad Akram says Aurangzeb returned to his unit in May after spending two months on leave at home. “I recall him purchasing a new pair of shoes to attend the marriage of his cousin. After the function, he danced till late in the night,” says Akram. “While Aurangzeb was coming home from Kashmir, his elder brother was returning from Pune to celebrate Eid together,” he adds.
Haneef’s neighbours say Aurangzeb was part of the Army team that killed Hizbul Mujahideen militant Sameer Tiger in the Valley last month. “He had been on the hit list of militants because he played an active role in the elimination of a large number of them,” says the father.
“When he came home on leave last year, he received a threat on Facebook from militants. So, when it was time for him to return to his unit in Shopian, I hired a taxi and accompanied him along with another son of mine,” says Haneef.
“At the time, I had requested his Company Commander to not allow him go to Shopian all alone and in civil dress,” he adds.
According to Haneef, Aurangzeb rang up his younger brother Mohammad Shabir around 9.30 am Thursday, asking him to come to Poonch and help, as he was bringing an inverter home from Shopian.
“Five minutes later, he rang up his mother to tell her he was coming home. Later, he called one of his brothers, Zafar Iqbal, to say he was reaching Shopian from where he would purchase some items for Eid. However, before he could say anything more, Zafar heard him shouting at the driver, ‘Stop the vehicle…stop the vehicle’. Then his mobile got switched off.”
According to police sources, Rashtriya Rifles personnel posted at Shadimarg in Pulwama stopped a civilian car on its way to Shopian and asked the driver to drop Aurangzeb. But when the car reached Kalampora village, it was intercepted by militants. Police later found Aurangzeb’s bullet-riddled body in Pulwama’s Gossu village.
In Salani, Mohammad Illyas, a school teacher who also works as the Block Level Officer in Kasbalari panchayat, remembers Aurangzeb as a “pehalwan who used to participate in wrestling and lift huge boulders during the annual congregation in the area”.
“Being soldiers and pro-Indian, this village wields a lot of influence among politicians and the administration. Despite having seven wards, Salani is an independent panchayat although the minimum criteria is 10 wards,” he says.
On Friday, the Army paid floral tributes to riflemen Aurangzeb and Manvendra Singh, who was killed during a security operation in Bandipora district, in a ceremony at the Badamibagh Cantonment in Srinagar.
It’s time the government takes action now, says Haneef. “It shows determination but makes a hasty retreat under pressure from politicians who exploit the situation. Pakistan will never dare to attack us, but this proxy war will continue till doomsday. India should not stop until the situation is fully under control,’’ he says.
This report was first published in indianexpress.com
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Sambhal violence: Protesters to pay for damage to property, posters of 'stone pelters' to be put up
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh government will make protesters involved in the Sambhal violence pay for damage to public property while posters of "stone pelters" will be displayed at public places, an official said on Wednesday.
Four people died and scores, including police personnel, were injured in Sambhal on Sunday after a confrontation erupted over a court-ordered survey of the city's Shahi Jama Masjid in Kot Garvi area, following a petition claiming that a Harihar temple once stood at the site.
"The UP government is adopting a firm stance against the individuals involved in the Sambhal violence. Posters of the stone pelters and miscreants will be displayed publicly, and recovery of damages will be sought. A reward may also be announced for information leading to their arrest," an official spokesperson said.
In a similar initiative, the government had previously put up posters of individuals linked to vandalism during the anti-CAA protests in 2020. These posters were displayed across several locations, including the state capital, but were later removed following a court order.
The violence in Sambhal erupted on Sunday when a large crowd gathered near a mosque and began chanting slogans as a survey team resumed its work. The situation escalated when the protesters clashed with security personnel, set vehicles on fire, and pelted stones.
So far, police have arrested 25 individuals and registered seven FIRs, which include charges against Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, the Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal, Sohail Iqbal, son of the party's local MLA Iqbal Mehmood, and over 2,750 unidentified suspects.
A magisterial probe is underway, and Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi stated on Monday that the situation was now under control. He assured that "strict action will be taken against those responsible for the unrest."
