Family questions media over comparing their IPS, militant sons
Say ‘atrocities of forces compelled Shams to pick up arms’
Shopian: The educated youth like Dr. Shams-ul-HaqMengnoo choose armed struggle only due to the atrocities of forces, said slain militant’s relatives at Sugan where thousands of mourners continue to throng his residence.
Shams-ul-Mengnoo, a resident of Sugan village of Shopian district who was pursuing Bachelors Degree in Unani Medicine and Surgery from a Government College in Zakura Srinagar was killed in an encounter at ShirmalShopian in a hideout along with his two associates on Tuesday.
Haq went missing on May 26 last year from his Srinagar residence barely 55 days after seven militants and a civilian were killed in an encounter in his house on 1st April.
A cousin of Shams said that the claims of government that youth pick up arms and stones for money and lack of employment gets exposed when youth like Shams pick up arms.
“For what did he pick up a gun and why did he leave a luxurious life and choose a life where death was certain? It is only the atrocities of forces that compelled him and hundreds others to pick up arms,” he said.
The space which is provided by every democratic country for voices of dissent is missing in Kashmir. The best examples are the ‘failed peaceful protests’ of 2008, 09 and 10, which were “crushed brutally” by the government, he said.
“When you have crack down all over, no chance is being provided to youth to express their views, when you are surrounded by military garrisons all over, when you are picked even on Facebook posts, when a Kashmiri student on way to school at many times on routine basis is being asked to prove his identity, when even your personal information is regularly being checked, when you are given with only two options, either become a militant or become an informer, what will a Kashmiri do,” he said.
“More and more youth will pick up arms as forces only know how to kill Kashmiris and nobody cares about the aspirations of Kashmir youth,” another relative of Shams said, adding that their all weapons to subjugate Kashmiri people have failed and human rights violation and other atrocities are rising with each passing day and no one cares about their aspirations.”
“To every action, there is equal and opposite reaction, the more atrocities will rise, the more youth will pick up guns,” he said.
About Haq’s brother who is an IPS officer, his another cousin said “don’t compare shams with Inam, the IPS brother of Shams, both have chosen their paths. Shams was very down to earth person and was offering five time prayer since his childhood and he never used social media as India is claiming that youth get attracted by social media.”
His father Mohammad RafiqMengnoo said that Shams had his own image and “I fail to understand why media was giving more air to his IPS brother’s image than his own.”
“Shams was mature enough and he choose his own path and I think the path he choose was right,” he said.
Jahangeer Ganaie
