Panara Village Basantgarh (Udhampur District), JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Jammu Police chief ADGP Anand Jain saluting the Coffin of Mohammad Sharif, member of Village Defence Guards

New Delhi :

Village Defence Guards member Mohammad Sharief of village Panara, who died fighting Pakistani terrorists in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur in Jammu two days ago was laid to rest with full state honours at his ancestral village with a sea of mourners in attendance to pay him their last respects in heavy rain.

Sharief leaves behind his wife, four minor daughters aged between 5 to 15 years, and an aged mother.

Sharief was martyred in an encounter with a group of terrorists, who, according to police, are believed to have just infiltrated from Pakistan to carry out terrorist activities in J&K.

The Army has taken charge of the search for the terrorists who are believed to be in two groups and are hiding in the thickly forested and hilly terrain.

Jammu Links posted this video of ADGP Anand Jain leading the convoy carrying the tricolour-wrapped coffin of Mohammad Sharif to his village on X:

Anand Jain, ADGP Jammu Zone said that it was on a tip-off that the police and local village defense guards had fanned out in the hilly area. He said the police had spotted the group of three terrorists and in the retaliatory fire Mohammad Sharief lost his life.  

Mohd Abaaz, brother of Sharief and also a VDG 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.

Arbaaz said the encounter had taken place after a gap of more than 15 years. “We have had encounters (with terrorists) in the past and we are ready to take on them (terrorists)”.

Hundreds of locals from the villages and adjoining areas, including VDG members, joined the funeral of Sharief amid adverse weather conditions including rain and storms. He was later buried at his ancestral graveyard.

Mourners made a beeline outside Sharief’s house to convey their sympathies to the family. May hoped that the Government would announce rehabilitation of the poor family which lost its only bread-earner.

Sharief’s wife Fatima Begum told local news persons that she was proud of her husband’s sacrificing his life for the nation yet in pain at his loss.

“Who will take care of my five minor daughters now?” she said as his shell-shocked daughters sat in front of their mother in a room of their house at Lower Panara village.

Begum said she was preparing breakfast for the family when Sharief came and told him that he was leaving for an operation.

The VDG members said they wanted to be given automatic weapons to match the firing ability of the terrorists. Also, they demanded a timely release of their allowances and declared despite Sharif’s loss, they are prepared to take on the infiltrators.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by ATV, posted by Aasha Khosa / April 30th, 2024