Militants kill woman SPO in Shopian: ‘They didn’t tell me what her fault was’

For Bhat’s family, it was the second tragedy since the 2016 unrest, when their house was set on fire by protesters.

At their one-storey house on the main road of Vehil village, a few neighbours and relatives had gathered to mourn the death. The family members spoke in hushed and careful tones.

Bhat, 40, told The Indian Express that his daughter took the job of SPO due to the family’s “bad economic condition”.

“She was earning just Rs 4,000-5,000 a month and helping run the home in every possible way. After our house was burnt in 2016, I applied for a loan. I am repaying it till date. My daughter also helped me repay it,” he said.

“In the 2016 unrest, there were clashes outside our home. While security forces were running after protesters, they entered our home and had water from a tap in our lawn. The protesters were angry that we offered them water, and they torched our house and left us with nothing,” said Bhat, adding that it was after this incident that his daughter was appointed in the police. She was then 15 years old.

The family said Jan was studying in Class XI at the government girls’ higher secondary school in Shopian. Around 2.30 pm on Saturday, Bhat said, two people entered their house and started asking about Jan. “We offered them tea, and they agreed. In some time, one of them handed the phone to her and asked her to talk. Jan took the phone, but no one was on the line. In no time he fired at her.”

Jan’s mother Haseena said she was aware of the dangers that came with her job. “She even supported education of her two brothers. I always feared, but I left everything to fate,” she said.

“I have just one regret —- those who killed my daughter didn’t tell me what her fault was. If she was involved in anything, they should have warned her first. We don’t know why my daughter was killed.”

Jan is survived by two younger brothers and her parents. On Saturday, the brothers were in school when she was shot. “When I returned from school, everyone was crying. Then I heard what happened,” said Arif, who studies in Class VIII.

An hour before Jan was killed, the family said, the Army was in the village for a door-to-door survey. “How can militants be present at the same time?” asked Haseena.

Last year, militants had targeted SPOs who they believed kept track of militants and acted as informers for security agencies. But, Haseena said, no militant had ever threatened her daughter.