Indian occupied Kashmir : Since July 8, 75 youth went missing, 43 joined militants, no info about 26

Srinagar, : There has been a growing concern within the security establishment about the sudden increase in disappearance of youths in Kashmir this year and official figures suggest that they might have joined various militant ranks, especially after the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
According to the official data accessed by The Kashmir Monitor, 75 boys went missing within three months of Kashmir unrest, out of which 43 joined militant ranks, six returned back to their homes while 26 others are still missing.
Over the years, south Kashmir has become a breeding ground for militants with many youths joining their ranks. The number has gone up considerably after the killing of Burhan Wani. If the official figures of the police are to be believed, at least 41 people went missing in last three and half months in south Kashmir’s four districts out of whom 26 joined militant ranks, two returned to their homes while 13 are still missing. According to the reports, most of the missing youth have joined Hizbul Mujahideen.
In Kulgam district, 13 people went missing after the killing of Burhan out of whom 10 joined militant ranks while there is no information regarding the remaining three. In south Kashmir’s Shopian district, 11 went missing out of whom six joined militant ranks while the rest are unaccounted for.
Similarly in Pulwama district, eight people went missing out of whom four joined militant ranks, 3 are still missing while one of the missing persons returned home in the last three and half months. In Anantnag district of south Kashmir, five people went missing out of whom three joined militant ranks while one of the missing persons returned home. However, there are no whereabouts about another missing person.
In Awantipora, four people went missing out of whom three joined militant ranks while one is still missing.
Last year, out of the 90 youths who had joined militant groups, 80 per cent of them hailed from various districts of South Kashmir alone.
Similarly, in north Kashmir districts of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora at least 31 persons went missing out of whom 16 joined militant ranks, four returned back while 11 are still missing. According to the official data accessed by The Kashmir Monitor, in Sopore town, 10 people went missing after the killing of Burhan Wani out of whom eight joined militant ranks while two are still missing.
In Baramulla district, 10 went missing out of whom six joined militant ranks, three are still missing while one of the missing persons has come back.
Similarly in Kupwara district, eight people went missing out of whom two joined militant ranks, four are still missing while two of the missing persons have returned to their homes. But in Bandipora district of north Kashmir, out of three missing persons no one has joined militant ranks. While one of the missing persons has returned home, two are still unaccounted for.
Official figures also suggest that in Srinagar district, two people went missing out of whom one joined militant ranks while another one is still missing. Similarly, in Budgam district no one joined militant ranks however one person went missing during the current unrest.
Syed Mujtaba Gilani, IGP Kashmir while talking to an international news portal has said that militants have stolen about 40 weapons from the forces in recent weeks. “This is a cause for concern and one indication that new recruits are being armed,” Gilani was quoted as having said.
According to the official figures, 78 persons have joined different militant groups this year. The figure in 2015 was 66.