Baramulla/ Srinagar: A 72-year-old retired police officer and local “muezzin”, Mohammad Shafi Mir, was shot dead by “terrorists” on Sunday morning while he was giving a call for “azaan” from a mosque in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
According to Mir’s cousin Mohammad Mustafa, who was present at home during the incident, the call for pre-dawn prayers was being given through a loudspeaker when it abruptly stopped.
Mir’s last words were “reham” (mercy), Mustafa recalled. The ‘azaan’ had stopped at the phrase “Ashhadu Anna Mohammadu Rasool-Allah (I bear witness that Mohammad is the messenger of Allah)”.
Police officials stated that Mir, who retired as a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in 2012, was shot inside the mosque located in the Gantmulla locality of Sheeri area in the district.
“Terrorists fired upon Shri Mohd Shafi, a retired police officer, at Gantmulla, Sheeri Baramulla, while praying ‘azaan’ in the mosque and succumbed to injuries,” the Kashmir Zone Police said.
Mir’s family members described him as a dedicated individual who had taken up the role of the local ‘muezzin’ (one who says ‘azaan’ – call for prayers) and faithfully carried out his duties at the mosque.
After the incident, a large number of people gathered at Mir’s house and at the mosque complex to pay their respects. He is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter.
Mustafa, speaking to reporters, shared his account of the incident, stating, “He (Mir) was my cousin. He used to call for prayers every day. This morning, while I was reading the Quran, as usual, he started the ‘azaan’, so I closed the Quran.”
He added “my cousin recited ‘Ashhadu Anna Mohammadu Rasool-Allah’, and then the ‘azaan’ stopped. I only heard a shout of ‘reham’ (mercy). It was in a heavy voice.”
Mustafa said he initially thought Mir might have stopped his call due to some other reason and guessed he could have collapsed due to dizziness. But it was later revealed that Mir was shot, he said.
“My daughter came and told me that Shafi uncle is dead. We went to his house and learnt that Mir had been taken to Baramulla (hospital)…we were told he had suffered bullet injuries,” he said.
Relatives of Mir claimed that he had been shot four times. His younger brother, Abdul Kareem, who was awakened by the sounds, believed they were caused by a technical issue with the microphone.
“My daughter-in-law said she heard people crying,” he added.
Kareem also said that Mir used to give the call for ‘azaan’ every day and suspected that the incident had been planned, as the prayer leader would be absent on Saturday and returned on Sunday.
The funeral of Mohammad Shafi Mir witnessed a large turnout of people. DIG North Kashmir Vivek Gupta and SP Baramulla Amod Ashok Nagpure were also present.
The incident marks a tragic event in the region, and security forces are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the retired SSP’s killing.
Locals said this is the first of its kind incident in the Narvaw area which has been completely peaceful in north Kashmir for the last 35 years. (With additional inputs from PTI)
