Mohammad Farooq Shah commonly known as Mirwaiz Moluvi Mohammad Farooq was the Mirwaiz of his time in Kashmir—north of India— and chairman of All Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee, a coalition of disparate political parties in Jammu and Kashmir that sought resolution of the Kashmir conflict.[1][2]
Shah was assassinated on 21 May 1990 by gunmen at his residence at Nageen, Srinagar. His funeral procession , witnessed the bloodshed (known as Hawal massacre) near the Islamia College of Science and Commerce, Srinagar, wherein 72 people, including four women, were killed; his body was dropped in the middle of the road. This roused public sentiment and gave leverage to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's political work in the valley.[3]
Hizbul Mujahideen militant Mohammad Ayub Dar was convicted for the murder and Supreme Court of India upheld the conviction in 2010.[4]
Jammu and Kashmir Police on 16 May 2023, claimed to have achieved a major breakthrough into the assassination case of Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq by arresting two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants who were "evading arrest for over three decades".[5]
In the press briefing, the police said the arrested militants also includes the one who had entered into the bedroom of late Mirwaiz and opened fire at him.
