Srinagar, Dec 8: The usually quiet lanes of Eidgah in Srinagar transformed into a sea of emotions as the community bid adieu to Police Inspector Masroor Wani on Friday.
Inspector Masroor Wani was shot at by LeT terrorist on October 29 this year while he was playing cricket in Eidgah Srinagar.
Wani was shot by terrorists on October 29 when he was engaged in a cricket match with local boys at Eidgah grounds in downtown Srinagar. He succumbed at AIIMS in New Delhi on Thursday.
His untimely departure resonated with memories of cricket matches, 90s melodies, and the warmth of his friendly policing.
In the neighbourhood of Dangerpora Narwara, where Masroor’s journey began and ended, the atmosphere was laden with sorrow as thousands gathered to pay their respects.
A close relative of Masroor told Rising Kashmir that Masroor had completed his commerce degree at Islamia College before joining the J&K police force in 2012 after passing the sub-inspector exam.
He was promoted to the rank of inspector in 2019 and was stationed at the Police Control Room (PCR), Batamaloo.
Despite his professional commitments, Masroor was deeply rooted in his ordinary life and actively engaged with the locals.
“We often saw him playing cricket and providing guidance to the youth,” the relative added. He further said that Masroor never lost his love for cricket and his friendships. “He would spend evenings with friends and willingly participated in cricket matches every Sunday,” he said.
Masroor, who had gotten married last year, left behind his pregnant wife, brother, sister, and parents.
The tragic loss of Inspector Masroor has deeply affected his friends and the people he served.
A close friend of Masroor, Aqib Nabi, told Rising Kashmir that he always fulfilled his duties with enthusiasm wherever he was posted.
In addition to cricket, he had a great passion for music. Whenever he was stationed somewhere out, he would carry a handheld musical microphone and sing songs from the 90s during his free time.
Masroor was known for his friendly approach to policing and often went out of his way to help the needy and orphans in the area, Aqib added.
As per the police official, Masroor was shot twice in the abdomen and neck. After nearly a month at SKIMS Hospital and multiple surgeries, he spent more than a week at Paras Hospital before being airlifted to AIIMS.
Earlier, tricolour-draped coffin of Inspector Masroor Ahmad Wani was brought as the police line for a wreath laying ceremony.
Additional Director General of Police, Armed, S J M Gillani, Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, J-K, Vijay Kumar, and Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, V K Birdi, laid floral wreaths on Wani’s coffin.
“You always wanted to become a police officer,” said Wani’s sister who was amid the family and colleagues gathered to bid the final goodbye to the cop who was killed in a terror attack.
“The whole J-K Police parivar stands together in paying tribute to our martyr colleague,” ADGP Vijay Kumar told reporters at the ceremony.
