Ummer Fayaz Explained

Honorific Prefix:Lieutenant
Ummer Fayaz
Birth Name:Ummer Fayaz Parray
Birth Date:8 June 1994
Birth Place:Kulgam district, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Death Place:Shopian district, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Branch: Indian Army
Serviceyears:2016–2017
Rank: Lieutenant
Unit:2 Rajputana Rifles
Allegiance: India
Alma Mater:Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Anantnag
National Defence Academy
Indian Military Academy

Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz (8 June 1994 – 10 May 2017) was an Indian Army officer who was abducted and killed in May 2017 by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, India.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] He had been commissioned as a lieutenant in the Indian Army from the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun on 10 December 2016, and was serving in the 2nd battalion, Rajputana Rifles.[7]

Early life

Ummer Fayaz was born in Kulgam, Jammu & Kashmir, India in 1994, and studied at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Anantnag and the National Defence Academy.[8] He faced several difficulties while in training as people in his home were not supportive of his decision to join the Indian Army. However, Fayaz was determined to join, as he used to say "I will change my Kashmir, I will make it heaven on earth again".

Abduction and killing

At the time of Fayaz's abduction he was on leave from duty and was also unarmed. He had come to his uncle's house in Shopian district, Jammu and Kashmir to attend a marriage ceremony in his family. On the night of 9 May 2017 he was abducted from his uncle's house. Militants shot him twice, and his dead body was found the next morning.[9] [10] [11]

Aftermath

He is survived by his father, who is a farmer, his mother and two sisters.[12] He was given a guard of honour and the funeral was attended by 400 people.[13] His murder was extensively criticized on social media.[14] [15] A candle march in his memory was also organised at India Gate, Delhi on an evening in May 2017, which attracted enormous support and publicity.

All the militants who were responsible for his murder were killed in operations on 31 March and 1 April 2018 by Rashtriya Rifles units.[16] Jammu & Kashmir Police stated that militant Abbas Bhat, who was wanted in connection with Fayaz's abduction and murder, was among the militants killed in Operation Batagund on 25 November 2018.[17]

Legacy

In 2017, Lt Ummer Fayaz was the 847th name to be engraved on the War Memorial at the Indian Military Academy.[18] In May of the same year, the Army Goodwill School, an army school in Jammu and Kashmir, was renamed to Shaheed Lt. Ummer Fayaz Goodwill School by the Indian Army to honour Fayaz.[19] [20] [21]

A book named, Undaunted: Lt. Ummer Fayaz of Kashmir by Bhaavna Arora is based on the life of Ummer Fayaz.[22]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Twitter outraged over killing of Army man in Shopian. The Statesman. 10 May 2017.
  2. News: 'Brave boy, brilliant student': Family, friends remember Kashmiri army officer. Hindustan Times. 11 May 2017.
  3. News: LeT, Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists involved in killing of Ummer Fayaz identified. Times of India. 11 May 2017.
  4. News: Hizbul Mujahideen behind army officer Ummer Fayaz's killing: J-K police. Hindustan Times. 12 May 2017.
  5. News: The Killing Of Indian Army Officer Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz Indicates A New Kind Of Terrorism Emerging In Kashmir. Huffington Post. 10 May 2017.
  6. News: View from Kashmir Observer: Young army officer's killing shows how both sides have been brutalised. Scroll.in & Kashmir Observer. 13 May 2017.
  7. Web site: Army officer killed in Kashmir: Ummer Fayaz, 22, had been commissioned only 5 months ago - Firstpost. www.firstpost.com. 2018-04-24.
  8. Web site: Saha . Abhishek . Brave boy, brilliant student': Family, friends remember Kashmiri army officer . . 15 July 2018 . 6 March 2018 .
  9. Web site: Young Kashmiri army officer shot dead while home on leave. tribuneindia.com. 2017-05-11.
  10. News: Valley seethes at Fayaz killing. The Hindu. 11 May 2017.
  11. News: Naqash. Rayan. 'How can we say who it was? They were all masked': Despair in Shopian after Army officer's killing. Scroll.in. 15 May 2017.
  12. Web site: 'Ummer was sitting with the bride. They pulled him, many others were waiting outside' | The Indian Express. indianexpress.com. 2017-05-11.
  13. News: Martyr Lt. Ummer Fayaz Killed In Kashmir – Indian By Birth, Army Officer By Choice. 10 May 2017. IndiaTimes.
  14. News: Debate on social media: Kashmiris divided on army officer's killing. 11 May 2017. Hindustan Times.
  15. News: Anger On Social Media Over Killing Of Army Officer Ummer Fayaz. Iqbal. Sheikh Zaffar. NDTV.
  16. News: In Jammu And Kashmir Pre-Dawn Ops, 8 Terrorists Killed, 2 Soldiers Dead. NDTV.com. 2018-04-01.
  17. News: Army soldier, 6 militants killed in gunfight in Shopian district of J&K . 28 January 2019 . The Tribune . 25 November 2018.
  18. News: Making of a warrior & the ultimate sacrifice. Sujlana. Lt Gen R. Singh. 16 May 2017. The Tribune. 22 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20180628083648/http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/making-of-a-warrior-the-ultimate-sacrifice/407523.html. 28 June 2018.
  19. News: J&K: Indian Army to name school in honour of slain hero Lt Ummer Fayaz . . 13 May 2017.
  20. http://zeenews.india.com/jammu-and-kashmir/army-goodwill-school-renamed-shaheed-lt-ummer-fayaz-goodwill-school-in-honour-martyred-officer-2033163.html 'Army Goodwill School' renamed 'Shaheed Lt Umer Fayaz Goodwill School' in honour of martyred officer
  21. News: Ashiq . Peerzada . Even after death, Lt. Ummer Fayaz is an inspiration . . 14 May 2017.
  22. News: A hero against all odds . . 19 May 2019.