Srinagar: When Saima Wani, 18, was shifted to general ward after remaining on life-support for more than a fortnight, Wani family of Odoo Shopian, shattered eighteen days ago by son Sameer’s killing in an encounter with government forces, had nurtured hopes of daughter’s survival. Even doctors who performed operation on Saima, thought “miracle” happened when she taken off from the life-support and shifted to general ward. However, the family’s hopes were dashed when Saima succumbed to injuries Saturday afternoon.
Saima was one of the two girls injured during the encounter in Chaigund village of Shopian where her brother Sameer, a Hizb cadre, was among the two militants killed on January 24. The bullet had gone deep into her head and damaged it.
Police had said that Shakir Ahmad Mir, a teenage civilian who was killed in the incident, and the girls were caught in “cross firing.”
A police statement issued about the shootout had said: “During a cordon at Chaigund area of Shopian the militants, who were wearing Burkhas, tried to break the cordon and fired indiscriminately on the search party. The security forces retaliated during which the Burkha-clad militants were forced to go back into hiding. During indiscriminate firing by the militants and the retaliatory fire one civilian namely Shakir Ahmad Mir resident of Kalampora pulwama got killed and two ladies received bullet injuries.”
