A father who set himself on fire in Qazigund, south Kashmir, after police allegedly refused his request to meet his detained son has died from his injuries in a Srinagar hospital. Bilal Ahmad Wani, a dry-fruit vendor, was admitted with burns covering nearly 90% of his body after the incident on Sunday.
Wani’s self-immolation followed the detention of his son, Jasir Bilal, and his brother, Naveel Wani, by the police. Initially treated in Anantnag, Wani was later transferred to SMHS Hospital in Srinagar, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The Wani family lives near Dr. Adeel Rather, who was arrested in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, in connection with a suspected terror module. Dr. Rather’s brother, Dr. Muzaffar, is reportedly at large.
Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed concern on social media, claiming that Wani had pleaded with authorities simply to see his son, a request that was denied. She stated that such high-handedness exacerbates the situation and cautioned that indiscriminate arrests risk pushing young people toward “darker paths.” Mufti demanded that the Jammu & Kashmir Police allow the family to meet their detained relatives.
Junaid Azim Mattu, former Mayor of Srinagar, criticized the incident as an example of a “guilt-by-association approach” that has become an official investigative strategy. He pointed out that the law mandates presuming innocence until guilt is established.
Mattu emphasized that this mindset undermines legal safeguards and stressed the importance of upholding the rule of law and constitutional norms in Jammu and Kashmir.
PDP leader Iltija Mufti remarked that the Government of India must choose between alienating Kashmiris by viewing them all as terrorists or adopting a compassionate approach that respects their dignity, insisting that collective punishment is not a viable solution.
Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan also voiced concern over the situation, describing it as troubling that investigations related to terrorism are being used to detain and mistreat individuals.
In the broader context, security agencies have intensified operations across Kashmir, with several arrests made as part of ongoing investigations. On Sunday, the Counter Intelligence Kashmir unit conducted searches at a doctor’s residence in Anantnag as part of these efforts.
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