New Delhi: A retired senior police officer, who was the local muezzin, was killed by terrorists while he was giving the call for Azaan from a mosque in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, police said. The victim, Mohammad Shafi Mir, was shot four times by unidentified terrorists inside the mosque in Gantmulla village in Sheeri area of the district, where he was a regular for Azaan.


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Mir, who had retired as a senior superintendent of police in 2012, was devoted to his duties at the mosque, his family members said. His cousin, Mohammad Mustafa, who was at home, said that he heard Mir’s last words of “reham (mercy)” as the Azaan stopped suddenly at “Ashhadu Anna Mohammadu Rasool-Allah (I bear witness that Mohammad is the messenger of Allah)”.


Mustafa said that he initially thought that Mir might have collapsed due to dizziness, but later learnt that he had been fatally shot by the terrorists. He said that his daughter informed him that his cousin had died, and they rushed to his house. Mir was taken to Baramulla hospital, where he was declared dead.


Mir is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. A large number of people gathered at his house and at the mosque complex to mourn his death. Mir’s younger brother, Abdul Kareem, said that he was sleeping when he was woken up by sounds that he thought were caused by a problem in the microphone. He said that his daughter-in-law told him that people were crying.


Kareem said that he suspected that the attack was planned, as the Imam (prayer leader) of the mosque goes home on Saturday and returns on Sunday. He said that Mir used to give the call for Azaan every day.


The police said that the area was cordoned off and a search operation was launched to nab the assailants. No terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.


The killing of Mir was condemned by various political parties, who expressed their condolences to his family. The National Conference (NC) said that violence can never be tolerated in any form, and expressed profound sadness over the tragic incident. The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) said that innocent people have become collateral damage to maintain the facade of normalcy touted by the Centre. The BJP termed the act dastardly and said that terror and terrorists have no religion.