Youth who aced Defence Academy test new Hizb recruit

An engineering graduate from Shopian district became a fresh recruit into the ranks of militancy, two weeks after government forces claimed killing of 13 militants on a single day in the same district might temporarily stop local youth from picking up arms.

Abid Nazir, a BTech from an engineering college in Punjab, hails from Paddarpora village. Three of the 13 militants killed on April 1 belonged to the same village.

Nazir had also qualified the written examination for National Defence Academy, India’s premier defence college.

Nazir’s embrace of militancy came to light in the signature way the youth announce their entry into an armed outfit nowadays: pose with an AK-47 rifle and post the picture on social media networking sites.

The picture says Nazir has adopted nom de guerre Abu Bakr Bhai.

“He went missing from his home only a few days ago. “He is not the only one to have joined militancy. Many more youth have taken to arms in southern Kashmir this month, including a soldier from Shopian,” a police official said.