Pall of gloom descended on Gantamulla village after body of slain SSP reached home
Reyaz Rashid
Baramulla: In a tragic incident, gunman targeted and shot dead a 72- year old retired senior superintendent of police (SSP) in the Gantmulla Bala village of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district when he was giving call for prayers “azaan’ for pre-dawn prayers from a local mosque.
The slain police officer was identified as former SSP Mohammad Shafi Mir who has been acting as “muezzin” for his local Masjid where he was shot dead.
Mohammad Mustafa Mir, slain police officer’s cousin who was present at home during the incident, recounted the terrifying moments said, “I was listening to my cousin pre-dawn prayers call on loudspeaker as usual and suddenly it stopped. There was sound of some gunshot. His last words were Reham (mercy).”
“My daughter came and told me that Shafi uncle is died. We went to his house and learnt that Mir had been taken to Baramulla (hospital)…we were told he had suffered bullet injuries,” he said.
The 72-year-old former police officer, who had retired in 2012, was serving as the local “muezzin,” responsible for calling the faithful to prayer.
Witnesses reported a sudden halt in the azaan, with Mir uttering the words “Ashhadu Anna Mohammadu Rasool-Allah (I bear witness that Mohammad is the messenger of Allah)” before a gunshot rang out inside the mosque.
Kashmir Zone Police swiftly responded to the scene, issuing a statement confirming the targeted attack on X. “Terrorists fired upon Shri Mohd Shafi, a retired police officer, at Gantmulla, Sheeri Baramulla, while praying ‘azaan’ in the mosque and succumbed to injuries,” read the official police statement.
Mir, who had become the local muezzin, was widely regarded for his commitment to religious duties. The assailants, believed to be terrorists, carried out the attack inside the mosque, marking a disturbing escalation of violence targeting public spaces.
Following the incident, a large crowd gathered at Mir’s residence and the mosque complex to express their shock and grief. Mir leaves behind his wife, two sons, and a daughter, all of whom now grapple with the sudden loss.
Cousin Mohammad Mustafa, who was present at the time of the incident, recounted the chilling details. Mustafa revealed that the call for prayer abruptly stopped, and Mir’s last words were a desperate plea for mercy. The family initially considered health issues as a cause for the interruption, only to later discover the heinous act that claimed Mir’s life.
Mir’s relatives, some of whom claimed he suffered four gunshot wounds, suggest a premeditated attack. Mir’s younger brother, Abdul Kareem, noted the unusual absence of the prayer leader on Saturdays, suspecting a planned assault on the day of his return.
Local authorities swiftly responded to the incident, with security forces reaching the scene and surrounding the area. The body of the retired police officer was taken to GMC Baramulla for post-mortem, and later, it was handed over to the grieving family.
The funeral procession for Mohammad Shafi Mir witnessed a large turnout, with dignitaries, including DIG North Kashmir Vivek Gupta and SP Baramulla Amod Ashok Nagpure, paying their respects. The incident marks a tragic event in the region, and security forces are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the retired SSP’s killing.
Locals said this is the first of its kind incident in the Narvaw area which has been completely peaceful in north Kashmir from last 35 years.