SRINAGAR, Dec 24: A 72-year-old retired police officer and local “muezzin”, Mohammad Shafi Mir, was shot dead by terrorists on Sunday morning while he was giving a call for “azaan” from a mosque in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, leaving the community in shock.
According to Mir’s cousin Mohammad Mustafa, who was present at home during the incident, the call for pre-dawn prayers was being given through a loudspeaker when it abruptly stopped.
Mir’s last words were “reham” (mercy), Mustafa recalled. The “azaan” had stopped at the phrase “Ashhadu Anna Mohammadu Rasool-Allah” (I bear witness that Mohammad is the messenger of Allah).
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Police officials stated that Mir, who retired as a senior superintendent of police (SSP) in 2012, was shot inside the mosque located in the Gantmulla locality of Sheeri area.
“Terrorists fired upon Shri Mohd Shafi, a retired police officer, at Gantmulla, Sheeri Baramulla, while praying ‘azaan’ in the mosque and succumbed to injuries,” the Kashmir Zone Police said.
Police are also looking into the possibility of personal animosity as the deceased was shot with a .12 bore gun, the officials said.
Mir’s family members described him as a dedicated individual who had taken up the role of the local “muezzin” and faithfully carried out his duties at the mosque.
After the incident, a large number of people gathered at Mir’s house and at the mosque complex to pay their respects. He is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter.
Mustafa, speaking to reporters, shared his account of the incident, stating, “He (Mir) was my cousin. He used to call for prayers every day. This morning, while I was reading the Quran, as usual, he started the ‘azaan’, so I closed the Quran.”
He added, “my cousin recited ‘Ashhadu Anna Mohammadu Rasool-Allah’, and then the ‘azaan’ stopped. I only heard a shout of ‘reham’ (mercy). It was in a heavy voice.”
(PTI)
