Disappeared' youth from Jammu and Kashmir takes to militancy

Srinagar: A youth of Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Shopian disappeared earlier this month and the scenic town situated in the foothills of Pir Panchal range and about 51 km from summer capital Srinagar observed a spontaneous shutdown for four days during which people took to the streets asking for his whereabouts.

The police said that he escaped from Shopian’s Keegam police station on May 1. On Sunday night, the ‘mystery’ behind Zubair Ahmed Turray’s ‘disappearance was solved when an amateur video was circulated on social media in which he announced that he has joined the militants’ ranks and cited reasons of “slavery” and “high-handedness” by the police and other security forces for the move. In the five-minute video, Turray who is wearing olive military fatigue and is sitting behind a desk on which guns and grenades are placed explains the reason behind his joining militants’ ranks.

He says he had no way around but to escape and take this route. “I and my family were subjugated to tyranny. The slavery is the reason for this decision. There was no other option but to take this route,” he says. Ahmed claims that he was forced to spend four years in jail for no fault of his.