A PhD aspirant who wanted to be an IAS officer before joining terrorism was among two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists killed by security forces on Srinagar's outskirts on Wednesday.
Sabzar Ahmad Sofi was killed along with his aide Asif Ahmad Shergojiri alias Khubaib, in a fierce gunfight at Soothu Kothair Bagh in Nowgam on Srinagar's outskirts.
Hailing from Naina village of Sangam in Anantnag district, Sabzar had joined terrorism after completing his MPhill and opting out of the PhD programme, days after Hizbul Mujahideen poster-boy Burhan Wani was killed on July 8, 2016. He is the second research scholar-turned-militant to have been killed in less than 15 days and the third this year so far. Shergojiri alias Khubaib had joined terrorist ranks in January this year.
Police said based on credible inputs about the presence of terrorists, security forces launched a cordon and search operation on Wednesday morning.
"During search operations, terrorists fired upon the search party, which was retaliated. In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists were neutralised," said a police spokesman.
Coming from a middle class but highly educated family of Anantnag, Sabzar had cleared MPhill and a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and had enrolled into a PhD programme in Botany before he dropped out and joined the Hizbul Mujahideen. A brilliant student, Sabzar wanted to be an IAS officer and was also preparing for it.
Family sources said Sabzar had left home a few days after Burhan Wani's killing to join the PhD programme but never returned. His family continued searching for him until his picture with an AK47 went viral on the social media.
"Sabzar Ahmad Sofi was involved in several attacks on security establishments and many other civilian atrocities in Anantnag. Sabzar was also involved in killing of one civilian lady Biba on October 28, 2016," said the police spokesman.
