SRINAGAR: The government forces are responsible for driving the youth into militancy , father of Adil Ahmad Dar, the JeM affiliate who blew rammed his explosive-laden car with CRPF vehicle, leading to the highest ever casualties suffered by the government forces in a single attack in three decades of insurgency in the state.
“The sons of the common man die here, whether they are Indian troops or our sons,” Ghulam Hassan Dar, Adil’s father, said.
“We are in pain in the same way the families of the soldiers are,” said Ghulam Hassan Dar, a farmer by occupation. He his son had been “forced to join militant ranks” after police stopped him and his friends on the way home from school in 2016.
“They were stopped by the troops and beaten up and harassed,” Dar said, adding that the students were accused of stone-pelting. “Since then, he wanted to join the militants.”
A video released by the militant group after the attack showed his son, dressed in military fatigues and carrying an automatic rifle, detailing his plan to carry out the bombing.
His mother, Fahmeeda, corroborated her husband’s account.
“He was beaten by Indian troops a few years back when he was returning from school,” she said. “This led to anger in him against Indian troops.”
Both parents said they were unaware of their son’s plan to attack the convoy.
Dar did not return home from his work as a labourer on March 19 last year, Fahmeeda added. “We searched for him for three months,” she said.
“Finally we gave up efforts to bring him back home.”
Ghulam Hassan Dar said he blamed politicians for his son’s death.
“They should have resolved the issue through dialogue,” he said, referring to the conflict over Kashmir.
“It is they who are responsible for driving these youth into militancy. The sons of the common man die here, whether they are Indian troops or our sons,” he added.