Wikipedia

Riyaz Naikoo

Riyaz Ahmad Naikoo (also known as Mohammad bin Qasim or Zubair ul Islam,[1] April 1985 – 6 May 2020) was one of the top ten most wanted militant commanders of Jammu and Kashmir. He was the operational chief of Hizbul Mujahideen, an Islamist Pro-Pakistan militant organization active in Jammu and Kashmir.[2]

Riyaz Naikoo
Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen
In office
2017–2020
Preceded byZakir Musa
Succeeded byGazi Haider
Personal details
BornApril 1985
Beighpora, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Died6 May 2020(2020-05-06) (aged 35)
Beighpora, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Cause of deathEncounter
EducationMsc Physics
ReligionIslam
Military service
AllegianceHizbul Mujahideen (2012–2020)
Activity years2010–2020
RankCommander in chief
Battles/warsKashmir conflict

Early life and militant activities

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Naikoo was born in Beighpora, a village in Awantipora tehsil of the Pulwama district in the Kashmir Valley in April 1985.[3] Some of his relatives have said that he had a passion for painting, especially roses, during his school and college days.[4] After earning a degree in mathematics he became a math teacher at a nearby school.[5][6] He gave free tuition to children from economically weaker backgrounds.[7]

During the 2010 unrest, he was detained by the Indian security forces for alleged support toseparatist pro-freedom militants and protesters. On 1 June 2012 he disappeared and then resurfaced with a gun and he become a militant of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.[8] In 2017 he became the commander (de facto chief) of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in Jammu and Kashmir after the death of Burhan Wani and the defection of Zakir Musa.[9][10][11]

In March 2014, he was alleged to be involved in the killing of a Sarpanch's father, Haji Ghulam Mohd Dar in Dogripora. He was also wanted for killing and abduction of police officers, firing on a police bus and requirement in other crimes.[1][12]

In 2018, police detained Naikoo's 70-year-old father. In retaliation, family members of police were kidnapped by militants from across south Kashmir. His father was soon released and the 11 hostages were accordingly let go by Naikoo.[9][13][14][15] Jammu and Kashmir Police had alleged that he would "loot orchard owners".[3] Naikoo started the practice of offering gun salutes to militants killed in encounters and posting them on social media. He was responsible for recruiting "scores of young Kashmiris in an armed quest for independence from India".[12] Police say he rarely used mobiles, used a VPN when he had to, and was known to have used the Bat Messenger app to communicate. Naikoo's videos were circulated on the social media; one such video after the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir showed him saying that the revocation was "irrelevant to us" and the fight would continue.[10][8][16][17] Naikoo carried a bounty of Rs 12 lakh on his head.

Naikoo's last audio message in April was related to the COVID-19 pandemic where he requested people to follow medical advice to keep themselves protected.[18]

Encounter

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Naikoo was killed in an encounter with 21 Rashtriya Rifles and Jammu and Kashmir Police on 6 May 2020 in Beighpora.[10][1] He was with an associate, who was also killed.[10] The encounter was viewed as a victory for the security forces.[19][20][21][1] Naikoo had been among the top 10 on the most-wanted list in Kashmir.[22] As per policy, Naikoo's body was not handed back to his family.[23] He was one of Kashmir's longest surviving militants (May 2012 to May 2020 or for 8 years).[18]

As a precautionary measure to curb the spread of news, government authorities information imposed communications and information blackouts by barring internet and mobile services across Kashmir valley right after Naikoo's encounter.[24][25][26] Protests against the killing of Naikoo were the first since August 2019, when the revocation of Kashmir's special status took place, with at least one protester dying and 50 seriously injured with bullet wounds to the chest and some with pellet injuries in one or both eyes.[27][28] Syed Salahuddin, the head of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, who is designated as a terrorist by India and the United States, said that "the sacrifice would help them achieve the mission that they had set out to achieve".[11] On 10 May 2020 Saifullah, also known as Gazi Haider, replaced Riyaz Naikoo as the new operations commander.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Gupta, Sihir (6 May 2020). "Top Hizbul terrorist Riyaz Naikoo was hiding in south Kashmir bunker; killed in overnight op". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Who was Riyaz Ahmad Naikoo, the Hizbul Mujahideen commander?". The Indian Express. 9 May 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b Javaid, Azaan (6 May 2020). "Riyaz Naikoo — dreaded militant who 'looted farmers and brought new ruthlessness to Hizbul'". ThePrint. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  4. ^ Ahmed Ali Fayyaz (7 May 2020), "With Riyaz Naikoo's Death, Has Era of Militant Poster Boys Ended?", The Quint. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Math Teacher To Hizbul's Longest-Serving Chief: Who was Riyaz Naikoo?". HW English. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Top rebel commander killed by Indian forces in Kashmir". The Guardian. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  7. ^ Javaid, Azaan (6 May 2020). "Riyaz Naikoo — dreaded militant who 'looted farmers and brought new ruthlessness to Hizbul'". ThePrint. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  8. ^ a b Jameel, Yusuf (7 May 2020). "From math teacher to militant: Riyaz Naikoo said Art 370 abrogation was irrelevant". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  9. ^ a b Masood, Bashaarat (7 May 2020). "Who was Riyaz Ahmad Naikoo, the Hizbul Mujahideen commander?". The Indian Express. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d Masood, Bashaarat; Iqbal, Naveed; Adil, Akhzer (7 May 2020). "Valley's most wanted militant Riyaz Naikoo killed in Awantipora encounter". The Indian Express. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  11. ^ a b Gupta, Shishir (7 May 2020). "Riyaz Naikoo setback upsets Syed Salahuddin, says the spark will spread in region". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  12. ^ a b Yasir, Sameer; Schultz, Kai; Kirmani, Iqbal (6 May 2020). "Top Kashmiri Militant Is Killed, Sparking Protests and Rage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Police releases father of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Riyaz Naikoo after detaining him for 2 days". Firstpost. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  14. ^ Mir, Hilal (6 May 2020). "Kashmir: Head of key militant group killed in gunfight". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  15. ^ Chaturvedi, Maneesha (7 May 2020). "Math Teacher To Hizbul's Longest-Serving Chief: Who was Riyaz Naikoo?". HW English. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  16. ^ Jain, Bharti; Pandit, M. Saleem (7 May 2020). "Riyaz Naikoo: Maths teacher who became a dreaded terror overlord". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  17. ^ Bhalla, Abhishek (7 May 2020). "Betrayed by own, Riyaz Bhai is still fighting: Conversation of terrorists during Kashmir encounter". India Today. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  18. ^ a b Zargar, Safwat. "Hizbul Mujahideen's Riyaz Naikoo, one of Kashmir's longest surviving militants, killed in Pulwama". Scroll.in. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Indian troops kill top Kashmir rebel commander Riyaz Naikoo". Al Jazeera. www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  20. ^ Ahmad, Mudasir (6 May 2020). "Hizbul Mujahideen 'Operational Chief' Riyaz Naikoo Killed by Security Forces: Who Was He?". The Wire. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  21. ^ Masoodi, Nazir; Som, Vishnu. Ghosh, Deepshikha (ed.). "Police Got To Most Wanted Terrorist Through The Man Who Got Him His Food". NDTV. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  22. ^ "Riyaz Naikoo, Kashmir's most wanted terrorist, carries Rs 12 lakh reward". Hindustan Times. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Indian forces kill top Kashmir militant". BBC News. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  24. ^ "Mobile Internet suspended in Kashmir". The Hindu. PTI. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  25. ^ Malik, Saqib (6 May 2020). "Shutting down phones, internet affects Covid fight". Greater Kashmir. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  26. ^ "Riyaz Naikoo encounter: Mobile internet services snapped in Kashmir Valley". Times Now. 6 May 2020 – via economictimes.indiatimes.com.
  27. ^ Jameel, Yusuf (7 May 2020). "Civilian killed in police firing as protests flare up in Riyaz Naikoo's village". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  28. ^ "Kashmir clashes continue for third day over killing of top rebel". Al Jazeera. www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  29. ^ IANS (10 May 2020). "Hizbul Mujahideen appoints new terror commander in Kashmir". Outlook India. Retrieved 11 May 2020.

Further reading

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