Girl cries on video over father’s killing in Srinagar operation

The video of a Kashmiri girl weeping over her father’s killing during a security operation in Srinagar on Monday has been circulated on social media. 

Mohammad Altaf Bhat, a businessman, was among four killed in an operation in Hyderpora. 

Police said Altaf Bhat and another businessman were shot by terrorists, but later said they may have been killed in the “cross-firing”.

“Altaf was killed in the cross-firing with the terrorists. Let the postmortem report come and we will come to know who fired the bullet that killed him,” said Vijay Kumar, inspector general of police, Kashmir Zone.

Even though Kumar expressed regret over Altaf Bhat’s killing, he said the deceased would be counted among “harbourers” of militants.

“He had kept tenants and police had no information about it. The responsibility of the owner does not end with renting out the place. He should also check once in a while as to what is happening there,” the IGP said. He said Mudasir Gul, the person who had rented the premises, was an active associate of terrorists.

Kumar said the bodies of the four men were buried in Handwara area of Kupwara district to avoid any law and order problems in the city.

In the video, Altaf Bhat’s 13-year-old daughter describes the moment she learnt about his death.

“My uncle got a call around 10am and he started crying… I was at home and I heard sounds of shouting and screaming. I ran away. I was praying to Allah,” she says, breaking down.

“My cousin – who is a witness – told me that my father was picked up thrice, twice he was released. And the third time he was killed. What is the meaning of this? Other witnesses were also killed – what is this?”

She grows more and more distraught as she shares: “I tell them: Uncle how can you think my father is this… They laugh at me. What response can I give them? They were laughing, they were shamelessly laughing at me. What could I say to them?”

The teenager also speaks about the son of the second businessman killed that day. “My brother is in his class. He is very young. What do we tell him? He is very close to his father. I am attached to my father. Now what will I do? How do I take care of my mother? She is not eating. She is crying. What do I do?”

Earlier, Altaf Bhat’s niece, Saima, tweeted: “You killed my innocent uncle… in cold-blood murder In Hyderpora, you used him as human shield and now saying he was ‘OGW’ (overground worker), return us his body @JmuKmrPolice @SrinagarPolice @IGP.”