Sajid Raina
Kupwara, Nov 15: Grief spread through this small Kupwara village on Saturday as residents gathered outside their homes and along the narrow lanes to mourn State Investigation Agency (SIA) Inspector of J&K Police, Asrar Ahmad, who was among nine people killed in the accidental blast at Nowgam Police Station on Friday night.
Muqam-e-Shahwali, a village in Kupwara located about 82 km from Srinagar and 7 km from the district headquarters, came to a standstill on Saturday as hundreds assembled for Inspector Asrar Ahmad’s last rites.
Many struggled to absorb the sudden loss of a man widely regarded as one of the most respected figures in the area.
People moved in groups, speaking in hushed voices, stopping occasionally to wipe their eyes. “There is a strange stillness here,” said Shabir Ahmad, a resident.
“It feels as if the breath of this whole village has been taken away with Asrar Sahab,” Ahmad said, trying to steady his voice.
For many in this close-knit settlement, Inspector Asrar was not just a government officer; he was a son of the soil, someone who carried the warmth of the village into his uniform. “He never behaved like he was above us,” recalled Tariq Ahmad. “To us, he was a neighbour first. A friend. Someone who made you feel respected no matter who you were.”
A large crowd, including several government officials, attended the funeral, which drew hundreds of residents from the area.
Mothers stood at their doorsteps with trembling hands, and young boys who once looked up to him as a symbol of achievement watched silently.
Asrar was laid to rest in the presence of a large crowd, many of whom had grown up with him or known him since childhood.
Another villager, Shakir, remembered how the entire area celebrated when Asrar was selected for the police force in 2010. “We all thought he would rise to great heights. He had that spark,” he said. “No one imagined we would be preparing his grave this early.”
Locals described him as someone who was always the first to stand with the needy. Whether it was arranging medicines, helping with paperwork, or simply sitting with an elder for company, he was known for small acts that left deep marks. “He lived with such decency,” said an elderly resident. “If goodness had a face in our village, it was his.”
The grief in the Muqam-e-Shahwali neighbourhood was amplified by the sight of his father, retired headmaster Haji Habibullah Shah, walking behind his son’s coffin.
“A father waits all his life for his son to support him,” said Nazir Ahmad, a relative. “But today he carried his son on his shoulders. That image will haunt us forever.”
Inspector Asrar leaves behind his wife, three young children, his parents, siblings, and an entire village that repeatedly called him its “pride”.
Meanwhile, SSP Imtiyaz Hussain shared an old post Asrar had written in 2020, a poem in which he asked to be remembered for his smile, his good deeds and “only my best”. Reacting to it after the tragedy, Hussain wrote that Asrar had served with honour and lived with grace, adding that his memories would remain with colleagues and that he was “gone too soon.”
