Suhail Khan
Srinagar, July 22: Head Constable Aashiq Hussain Qureshi, who joined the Jammu and Kashmir Police under the compassionate appointment scheme after his father died on duty three decades ago, was killed in a terrorist attack in Anantnag on Wednesday — the second time the family has received a coffin instead of a breadwinner.
The attack occurred around 12:30 pm near Lal Chowk when a terrorist opened fire on him in what officials described as a “shoot-and-scoot” operation. Qureshi, 45, attached to the IRP 3rd Battalion and on duty with the SOG Anantnag, was rushed to the Government Medical College, where doctors declared him brought dead.
His family in Lalpora, Beerwah, had spoken to him barely an hour before the attack. They did not know it would be their last conversation.
‘We lost our guardian, our pride’
Back in Lalpora, a village in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, grief has become a collective burden. The Qureshi household, once buzzing with the warmth of a man who held the family together, now echoes with wails and inconsolable sobs.
“As soon as the news spread, we all left our work and gathered here. Nobody is in their senses. He was not just a police officer — he was our guardian, our pride,” said Ghulam Mohammad, a neighbor who had known Qureshi since childhood.
‘He called home an hour before…’
Another neighbor, Ghulam Rasool, struggled to find words as he recalled the final moments of the day.
“His family spoke to him around 11:30 am. He was asking about his children. That was his nature — always caring, always thinking about others,” Rasool said.
“His father died on duty. He was appointed under SRO to support the family. Now he, too, has fallen. My heart cries for his mother — she has seen this twice in a lifetime.”
“The entire village is shattered. A deathly silence has descended upon the locality. In every home, there are tears. In every heart, there is a void that cannot be filled,” he said.
Qureshi’s relative, Farooq Ahmad, who had grown up with him in the same courtyard, said the family never recovered from the loss of the father in 1995. Now, they are broken beyond repair.
“My uncle died when Aashiq was just a child. He took up the burden of the family at a very young age. He worked hard, studied, and got the job to support his mother and siblings. He never complained. He never said no to anyone,” Farooq said, his eyes red and swollen.
“His mother — my aunt — is 80 years old. She lost her husband to duty. Now she has lost her son. How does a mother survive this twice? When we told her, she collapsed. She has not spoken a word since.”
Locals described Qureshi as a rarity — a policeman whose honesty was spoken of in a region where the force is often viewed with suspicion.
“Everyone in this village has a story of Aashiq’s kindness. He never took bribes. He never misused his position. When his relatives would ask for favors, he would politely say, ‘I work for the nation, I can’t break the law.’ He was that rare man who walked the talk,” said Farooq Ahmad, a schoolteacher.
‘His daughter will not stop crying…’
Qureshi’s daughter, a Class 8 student, had been waiting for her father to return home.
“She has been crying since morning. She keeps saying, ‘Papa said he would come home.’ We cannot console her. Nobody can,” said neighbor Zahoora Begum.
“His younger son — in Class 11 — has locked himself in a room and won’t come out. His elder son just keeps staring at his father’s uniform hanging in the closet. He has not said a single word since noon,” she said.
“How does a family survive this? What will they tell the children? That their father was brave? That he died for the nation? They are too young to understand bravery. They only know that their father is not coming back.”
Soon after the attack, police and security forces cordoned off the area and launched a massive search operation. Additional reinforcements were rushed to Anantnag town.
Preliminary CCTV footage that surfaced on social media showed a man in dark clothing and a black cap, carrying what appeared to be an assault rifle concealed in a bag, moving through the locality. Security agencies are examining the footage but have not confirmed any link.
Security has been intensified along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, with vehicle checking stepped up and round-the-clock surveillance in place.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said he had spoken to DGP Nalin Prabhat to review the situation. “My heartfelt condolences to the family of Head Constable Ashiq Hussain Qureshi, who sacrificed his life in the line of duty. The whole country stands shoulder to shoulder with the family of the martyr. This heinous act will not go unpunished,” he posted on X.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called it a “cowardly act” aimed at disturbing the peace but destined to fail. “Such attacks will neither weaken our resolve nor allow perpetrators to achieve their objectives,” he said, adding that he had full faith in the police to identify those responsible.
Local resident Ghulam Hassan said, “Tonight, we are just a village that has lost its best son.” He added that a family shattered twice, Qureshi leaves behind his widowed mother, wife, two sons — in Classes 12 and 11 — and a daughter in Class 8. His brother and three married sisters survive him.
“The whole family — his sons, his daughter — are shattered. None of them can come to terms with what has happened.”
For Lalpora, the loss is of a man known for humility, honesty, and warmth. “His father died on duty. He was appointed under SRO to support the family. Now he, too, has fallen,” Hassan said.
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