New Delhi (Sputnik) — In an incident which rocked the Indian establishment on Monday morning, a gun-toting photo of a scholar from Jammu and Kashmir, who went missing from the country's prestigious Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) a week ago, surfaced on social media. The discovery triggered fears that he had joined a militant group.
Mannan Wani is seen holding an AK-47 rifle in the viral photo and is feared to have joined the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.
"He was scheduled to return home four days ago. But instead, his pictures showing him with an AK-47 reached the family," a Jammu & Kashmir police officer said.
Wani's father is a lecturer while his brother is an engineer.
Many Twitter users advised him to shun the path of radicalism, while there were few who supported his decision.
Mannan Wani, a PhD scholar at #AMU, has joined jihad. There are many reasons: his advocacy of Muslim Ummah, Rohingya Muslims, Hadiya, strong Islamic religiosity — and also a reaction against this: warning by this Hindu group that Kashmiris leave Uttar Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/wxIr5EmabS