Ikwanis accused of killing 2 roam free

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Mir TariqBandipora, June 12: The family members of a numberdar Ali Muhammad Bhat and Muhammad Rajab Bhat of Vewan Bandipora, who were killed this day 11-years back on Thursday demanded the arrest of the Ikhwanis accused of their killings.Bhat’s daughter Jana Bano said, “They entered our house masquerading themselves as militants in late hours. My father was asleep. They forcibly entered into our house by breaking window panes. They smashed my father and then took him away."
Bano said she recognizes the three killers. “They are Aziz Khan of Malangam Bandipora, Shafi Rathi Aliyas of Chandachi and Gul Khan. They kidnapped my father and took him bare foot," she added.Bhat’s wife Khotni Begum narrating her pathetic story said that that police has not arrested the killers till date.“We reported the incident before the police station Bandipora and after few years Aziz Khan narrated the story of my husband’s and his colleague Muhammad Rajab Bhat’s killings before Aliyas, an army officer of Rajput Rifles,” said Begum. “Late Aliyas told us that they had killed the numberdar."These notorious Ikhwanis were part of the dreaded Ikhwani group that had spread terror in north Kashmir since the creation of the Ikhwan.The villagers also said that the Ikhwanis on this day 11 years back first looted a bridegroom Muhammad Sultan Lone and then abducted Muhammad Rajab Lone who tried to stop them.“Till date Rajab's whereabouts are not known. But the Ikhwanis after abducting Lone told us that they had killed him along with the numberdar and buried their bodies somewhere in the Vewan forests," the villagers said."We tried to register a case against the killers but the then SHO Bandipora Manzoor Ahmed Mir threaten us against doing so. The killers are yet to be arrested,” said Ali Muhammad. “I was jailed for 18 months when I stressed the then police officer to register a case against the killer Ikhwanis.”Bhat’s nine children demanded that the killers be punished. “We want justice. We want our father’s killers punished,” they said.