This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.

Kashmir Teenager, Who Acted In 'Haider', Killed In Gunbattle After Joining Militancy

Saqib Bilal, along with another boy, went missing from his home on 31 August in Bandipora’s Hajin area.
People inspect houses where militants were holed up during gun battle with security forces in Mujgund area of Srinagar.
NurPhoto via Getty Images
People inspect houses where militants were holed up during gun battle with security forces in Mujgund area of Srinagar.

Saqib Bilal, who did a brief role in the movie Haider, was among those killed in a gun battle with security forces on Sunday in Srinagar's Mujgund.

Fifteen-year-old Bilal, along with Class 9 student Mudasair Parray, went missing from his home on 31 August in Bandipora's Hajin area. Bilal was believed to have joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), according to News18.

According to a Hindustan Times report, Bilal's family has been unable to come to terms with why he decided to become a militant.

Bilal's maternal uncle, Asim Aijaz, told the Hindustan Times, "We could never understand why he joined. In fact, he left home on the day to buy some groceries. People had seen the two boys riding behind a third person on a bike."

Police officials said that the two boys joined the militants soon after their disappearance.

His family told The Wire that Bilal wanted to become an engineer. He was a theatre artist who had also won a competition three years ago in Kerala.

The Wire report said that Bilal's death has stoked anger among residents of Hajin. Clashes broke out between the army and the protesting locals soon after the two boys were buried.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.