On Thursday morning, a pall of gloom descended on the Goripora area of Sopore, some 55 kilometers north of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.
At a one-story house, Nisara Begum is being consoled by wailing women — not an uncommon site in Kashmir. She mourned, "Saani Kasheer korukh Karbala (They have turned our Kashmir into Karbala)."
At around 3 am on 6 February, the silence of the cold night was broken by a phone call at the house of Waseem Ahmad Mir in Goripora. A truck driver by profession, 25-year-old Waseem had left his home at around 10 pm on 5 February to deliver a truckload of apples to Kolkata, West Bengal. But his usual journey was terminated close to home.
Waseem was allegedly shot dead by Army personnel in north Kashmir’s Baramulla after he allegedly failed to stop his truck at a checkpoint. In a statement issued by the army's Chinar Corps on 6 February, the army claimed that "shots were fired aiming on tyres to deflate which forced vehicle to halt...Consequent to detailed search, the injured driver was immediately evacuated to GMC Baramulla by Security Forces where he was declared dead."
“Incidents like these risk alienating the very people who we need to carry with us on the road to complete normalcy,” Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, wrote on X, following the incident.
'Had Left Home To Deliver a Truckload of Apples to Kolkata': Waseem's Father
In Kashmir, where curbs on dissent and press freedom have become the norm, it is the family of the deceased that has been left without a voice. According to media reports, several journalists were barred from reaching the locality and speaking to Waseem’s family.
Even under these circumstances, The Quint met Nisara Begum, Waseem's mother, who suffers from chronic pain in her right leg. She said that Waseem had promised to take her to a doctor after coming back from Kolkata.
“Before leaving home that night at around 9.45 pm, he assured me that we'll go to a good doctor. He said, 'Ma hei Parwaay, cze chuy nechuw zindih (Don't worry ma, I am still alive)'," Nisara told The Quint.
Waseem’s father, Abdul Majeed Mir, said that he was going to Kolkata to deliver cartons of apples. "He (Waseem) had loaded his truck but 200 boxes were to be loaded from Krangshoo colony in Sopore, 14 km away from our home," he claimed.
Abdul said that after Waseem had packed his truck at Krangshoo colony, he took a road towards Srinagar via Sangrama. "The spot where Waseem’s truck was found later is not more than three kilometers away from Krangshoo colony," his father claimed.
In its the statement, the Army had mentioned that its personnel had spotted "a speeding suspicious civil truck".
"When challenged, the truck didn't stop despite repeated warnings instead accelerated further while crossing the check post. Alert troops pursued the vehicle for over 23 km. Shots were fired aiming on tyres to deflate which forced vehicle to halt at Sangrama Chowk," the statement posted by Chinar Corps on X read.
'Why Did They Fire at Him Without Investigating?': Waseem's Sister
The family, however, rejected the Army’s statement and demanded an investigation into the incident, which has triggered anger among locals and Kashmiri politicians alike.
"Tell me, how does this make sense?" Waseem's father asked. "They say he was chased for 23 km, but he had barely covered 2km from the Sopore colony where he loaded his truck."
He continued," Even if we assume that everyone who saw him load the truck is lying, that the 200 apple boxes appeared on their own, or that he never went to the colony at all—there is still a flaw in their (the Army's) claim."
"The distance from our home to Sangrama, where it happened, is 16 km, not 23. How do they explain that?" Majeed asked.
Waseem's family is now demanding that they should be shown CCTV footage from the night of the incident to ascertain that the claim of the security forces is true.
“Were arms found in his truck? Was there any ammunition inside? He was innocent, why did they fire at him without investigating? Is it so easy to kill Kashmiris with impunity?” asked an inconsolable Aasiya, Waseem's sister.
Expressing his shock at Waseem’s death, his uncle Abdul Rashid Mir told The Quint that the news reached them late at night. “Irfan (Wasim’s brother) got a phone call asking the family to rush to the Baramulla hospital. On the way, we came to know that a truck driver had been shot dead by the Army. At the hospital, we were made to wait for several hours with no clarity," he claimed.
After waiting for hours, the family learnt that the deceased driver was Waseem.
'Two Alleged Killings By Security Officers in 24 Hours'
A doctor at the Baramulla Hospital said Waseem was brought in by the Army at 1 pm. “He had a single bullet injury with both entry and exit wounds. The nature of injury suggested that he was shot at from close range," The Indian Express has reported.
Advocate Irfan Hafiz Lone, the Congress MLA from Wagora-Kreeri area in Baramulla district, held a protest in the area against the firing incident. "We honor and respect the men in uniform, but the officer responsible for this killing must be held accountable. A thorough inquiry should be conducted to ensure justice for the victims," Lone told The Quint.
“His mother did not deserve this loss”, he concluded.
Sitting Member of Parliament (MP) from Srinagar, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi took to his X handle on Thursday afternoon to rake the issue. He said, “While the nation including the Opposition parties in Parliament are concerned - which we all should be - about the handcuffing and deportation of the Indian citizens in America, two citizens (civilians) in Jammu and Kashmir got killed by security forces during the last 24 hours, soon after the meeting for the security review of Kashmir conducted by Home Minister of India yesterday in Delhi..."
He sought the INDIA alliance to be equally concerned about "this murder of two innocent citizens in J&K and ask for the immediate arrest of the security personnel involved in these killings and demand for justice."
In Jammu’s Kathua, a civilian named Makhan Din, who was allegedly tortured in police custody, was found dead on Thursday. According to the local people, the 25-year-old was beaten up and mentally tortured in police custody over having links with militants, The Hindu reported.
Condemning Waseem's death, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti wrote on X, “Are Kashmiri lives so cheap? How long will you justify this unbridled impunity by pointing everyone with the needle of suspicion?”
J&K People’s Conference president and Handwara MLA Sajad Lone also denounced the killing, saying, "The killing of the truck driver is a murder. And it being executed by security forces makes it even more heinous."