A trader from India-administered Kashmir has died after setting himself on fire amid an ongoing investigation into what Indian authorities claim is an “interstate and transnational terror module,” becoming the third civilian from the region to lose his life in connection with the widening probe.
According to local media reports, hospital officials in Srinagar confirmed that Bilal Ahmad Wani, a dry-fruit merchant from the southern town of Qazigund, succumbed to severe burn injuries on Monday.
He had set himself ablaze a day earlier after returning from a local police station where his son and brother were being questioned.
Family members said Wani appeared deeply distressed after multiple rounds of police questioning that began last week.
“He felt humiliated,” a relative told local reporters, urging authorities to halt what residents describe as sweeping detentions in the area.
Indian police have launched a series of investigations following the discovery of what they claim is a “militant hideout” in the northern state of Haryana earlier this month.
Concerns
Hours after authorities announced the discovery, a car exploded near Delhi’s historic Red Fort, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens more.
The blast is now being investigated by India’s National Investigation Agency.
Several individuals from India-administered Kashmir have since been detained for questioning, including neighbours and acquaintances of suspects arrested in other Indian states.
There has been no official confirmation so far of any link between the Faridabad “terror module” case and the Red Fort blast.
Wani’s death follows two earlier civilian fatalities tied to the probe.
On Friday, a tailor from Srinagar was killed in a powerful explosion at a police station where officers were handling materials recovered during the investigation—including a large cache of explosives.
Another Kashmiri man, who had been working near the Red Fort area, was identified among the dead in the Delhi blast.
Human rights groups and local families have raised concerns about the scale of detentions and the lack of clarity surrounding the investigation, urging authorities to ensure transparency and prevent further civilian harm as the probe continues.
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Source: TRT