Militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen on Monday told Jammu and Kashmir’s Central News Service agency that Aligarh Muslim University scholar Mannan Bashir Wani had joined its ranks. The university had expelled Wani after a photograph indicating that he joined the militant group surfaced on social media.
“For years, the educated and qualified youth of Kashmir have been joining Hizbul Mujahideen to take the freedom movement to its logical conclusion,” outfit’s chief Syed Salahuddin said at a meeting of the organisation. “This spirit shown by the youth is laudable”.
He added that Wani’s entry into the Hizbul Mujahideen “exposed” the Indian propaganda that Kashmiri youths were joining militant groups due to unemployment and economic distress.
Wani, who was pursuing PhD in Applied Geology from Aligarh Muslim University, went missing after leaving the university to go home in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara. On Monday, university officials expelled the scholar and barred him from entering the college campus. The AMU proctorial board took officials of the Uttar Pradesh Police to Wani’s room and sealed it.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!