People Protests After Missing Labourer’s Body Arrives from Punjab, Family Demands Justice

By : Sagar Reshi

Grief and anger erupted in south Kashmir’s Kokernag on Monday after the body of a 28-year-old labourer, who had been missing for weeks, arrived at his native village from Punjab.

Family members and local residents staged protests, blocked a road and demanded justice. Overcome with grief, relatives were seen wailing and beating their chests as they sought action in the case.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

The deceased, identified as Aijaz Ahmad Dar, had initially travelled to Srinagar for work before moving to Ludhiana in Punjab in search of employment, his family told the news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO).

A family member said they had remained in regular telephone contact with Dar for about a week, after which his mobile phone was switched off and they could no longer reach him.

On October 17, the family and local residents staged a protest in Hallpora, expressing concern over his disappearance and demanding urgent efforts to trace him.

The protests resumed on Monday morning after Dar’s body reached the village. Family members and locals gathered outside Police Station Kokernag, alleging that he had been murdered and demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible.

A police officer told KNO that a missing-person report had been registered on September 26 regarding Aijaz Ahmad Dar, son of Abdul Majeed Dar, a resident of Darpora, Hallpora, Gadool in Kokernag.

The officer said police had assured the protesters that the case would be investigated fairly and taken to its logical conclusion.

Following the assurance, the protesters dispersed.

The circumstances surrounding Dar’s death remain unclear, and the allegations of murder are yet to be established through the investigation.