Large number of people attend burial
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 29: Mohammad Sharief, Village Defence Guard (VDG), who was martyred in an encounter with the terrorists at Basantgarh yesterday, was laid to rest amid pouring rain at his ancestral village Panara with mourners demanding a relief package for proper rehabilitation of his five minor daughters, wife and mother.
The body of the deceased was handed over to his family last evening after a wreath laying ceremony at Basantgarh police station.
Hundreds of locals from the villages and adjoining areas, including VDG members, joined funeral of Sharief amid adverse weather conditions including rain and storm. He was later buried at his ancestral graveyard.
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Mourners made a beeline outside Sharief’s house to convey their sympathies to the family and expressed their hope that the Government will announce rehabilitation of the poor family which lost its only bread-earner.
Fatima Begum, the wife of Sharief, said she is proud of the sacrifice of her husband for the country but is also pained at his loss.
“Who will take care of my five minor daughters now?” she said as his shell-shocked daughters — aged between five and 15 years — sat in front of their mother in a room of their house at Lower Panara.
Begum said she was preparing breakfast for the family when Sharief came and told him that he is leaving for an operation, ‘never to return back alive’.
Naseema Bano, sister-in-law of Sharief, said it is now the responsibility of the Government to take care of the poor family who lost its bread-earner.
“He laid down his life for the nation and we are proud of his sacrifice but his loss is painful as well and cause of concern for his wife, five minor daughters and elderly mother. The Government should come forward and assure the family,” Bano, who resides in Ramnagar, said.
She said they came to know about the firing and tried to contact Sharief on phone but “some policeman picked up the phone and said he had suffered a bullet injury. The reality was that he was dead with at least six bullet wounds on his body”.
Mohd Abaaz, brother of Sharief and also a VDG member, said they were together when terrorists opened fire on them during area domination patrolling.
“There were two groups of terrorists with nine members. I told him to be careful but he was caught in an open area and became a direct target. I along with another member took a shield in a nearby house. They rained about 50 bullets non-stop (before fleeing),” he said.
Abaaz said the encounter had taken place after a gap of more than 15 years. “We had encounters in the past and we are ready to take on them (terrorists)”.
He said the Government will take care of his brother’s family, especially the minor daughters and also equip the VDGs with automatic weapons besides ensuring timely release of their monthly allowances.
Begum expressed hope that the Government will announce the ex-gratia relief for the family including a Government job for one of the daughters.
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