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Killing of Zahid Rasool Bhat

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Zahid Rasool Bhat (also reported as Zahid Ahmad Bhat) was a young man from Kashmir who died on 18 October 2015 from burns sustained when a mob attacked a Kashmir-bound truck with stones and a petrol bomb near Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, on the night of 9 October 2015.[1][2] The attack followed rumours of cow slaughter in the district.[3] His death led to a shutdown and protests in the Kashmir Valley, and police arrested nine people.[2]

Background

In the days before the attack, cow carcasses were found in Udhampur district, which led to tension in the area.[3] The district administration and the owner of the cattle later ruled out foul play and concluded that the animals had died natural deaths; according to AFP and PTI, forensic tests found that the cows had died of poisoning.[3][2] At the time a court had ordered strict enforcement of the state's law banning cow slaughter and beef sales, an order that another court later set aside.[2]

Incident

On the night of 9–10 October 2015, a coal-laden truck returning to Kashmir from New Delhi was attacked with stones and a petrol bomb at Shivpur (Shiv Nagar) near Udhampur on the Jammu–Srinagar highway. The coal caught fire, and the occupants, including Zahid and Showkat Ahmad Dar, jumped out of the vehicle.[1][3] There was no evidence that Bhat had been involved in any cow slaughter.[2]

Zahid suffered burns reported as over 70 per cent and was airlifted to Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, where he was treated in intensive care.[1] Showkat Ahmad Dar suffered burns of about 40 per cent and was also treated at Safdarjung Hospital.[3] Zahid died on Sunday, 18 October 2015.[1] His age was reported as 19 by AFP and PTI and as 18 by Kashmir Life.[2][4]

Police arrested nine people, who were identified from CCTV footage.[2] The deputy commissioner of Udhampur said the Public Safety Act had been applied against all nine, and the accused were booked under sections of the Ranbir Penal Code and the Explosive Substances Act. A special investigation team pursued other suspects, and police alleged that a suspended policeman had planned the attack.[4]

In May 2016 the state government terminated the services of the public prosecutor of Udhampur. A Law Ministry official said the prosecutor had been slow in pursuing the case against the men accused of killing Zahid and that the government had received reports that he was lenient towards the accused; these concerns led to the case being moved to a different trial court in Jammu.[5] Law Minister Abdul Haq Khan attributed the terminations, which also covered an additional public prosecutor in Kathua, to non-performance.[5]

Reactions

The Jammu and Kashmir cabinet passed a resolution condemning the attack, and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed criticised the killing, saying that India could not allow “kangaroo courts”.[2] Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti received Zahid's coffin at Srinagar airport, and separatist groups and traders called a shutdown for the following day.[1] Al Jazeera reported that the death left the Kashmir region tense and placed it among a series of attacks on people accused of trading or consuming beef.[6]

Aftermath

Zahid's body was flown from Delhi and buried in his home village of Batengoo (Botengo) in Anantnag district of south Kashmir after a large procession.[2][1] On 19 October authorities imposed restrictions on movement in parts of Kashmir; schools and businesses closed, and police used tear gas against protesters who threw stones.[2] The DNA newspaper described Zahid's death as the third killing in three weeks linked to beef-related rumours.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Muhammad Raafi. "Dateline Botengo: Zahid’s Last Journey". Kashmir Life. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 "Protests in Kashmir after trucker’s death". Gulf News (AFP and PTI). October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "J&K trucker set ablaze over ‘cow killing’ dies; 3rd victim in 3 weeks". DNA (reproduced by Citizens for Justice and Peace). 19 October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Muhammad Raafi. "‘Udhampur Attack Carried Out by a Suspended Cop’". Kashmir Life. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Muhammad Raafi. "Services of Public Prosecutor of Udhampur, Kathua Terminated". Kashmir Life. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  6. ↑ Nidhi Dutt. "Anger in Kashmir after lynching over beef". Al Jazeera. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
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