IPS officer’s brother joins militancy; photo flaunting AK-47 goes viral

Srinagar: Brother of an IPS officer, who had gone missing since May, has reportedly joined Hizbul Mujahideen, as his picture flaunting an AK-47 rifle has gone viral on social media.
Official sources said Shamsul Haq, who was pursuing his BUMS from a government college at Zakura on the city outskirts, went missing in May. “A case was registered and investigation was taken up to trace the missing youth, who is a resident of Shopian in south Kashmir,” they added.
However, a picture of Shamsul, who is the brother of IPS officer, brandishing an AK47 assault rifle has gone viral on social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter. The date of the youth joining militancy is May 22 in the picture.
But, a police official said that the authenticity of the picture is being verified.
This is not the first time a youth has announced joining militancy by flaunting assault rifle on social media. In the recent past, youngsters have been announcing joining militancy ranks by posting their pictures with weapons on social media, including Facebook and Twitter.
Several dozen youth, including son of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chairman, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) scholar and Kashmir University professor, have joined militant ranks in valley, particularly south Kashmir in the last about eight months.
However, about a dozen youth, including an ace footballer, returned home after shunning violence in the valley since November last year. Police has been reiterating that no case will be registered against the youth, who will be provided all assistance to start afresh and lead a normal life.