Stone pelting at funeral procession of Indian Army Lt Ummer Fayaz who was abducted, killed by militants in Kashmir

Kashmiri youth pelted stones at policemen after they fired gunshots in the air during the funeral procession of Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz, Indian Army officer, who was abducted and killed by militants in Kashmir on Tuesday night, media reports said.

The young Indian Army officer was cremated with full state honours in the northern Indian state's Pulwama.

Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz's bullet-riddled body was found this morning in South Kashmir's Shopian district.

The police said that the officer was shot by terrorists five times in an orchard where his body was found.

A Kashmiri from Kulgam district, Ummer was home on leave, attending his sister's wedding ceremony, when he was abducted.

The Army said that he was a keen sportsman, good at hockey, and basketball. 

They added that he had joined the Army last December and that he was posted with the 2nd Rajput Rifles.  

"He was part of the hockey team of National Defence Academy (NDA), an excellent volleyball player. He was physically tough and the troops enjoyed being with him," the Army said.

Lt Fayaz was commissioned from the NDA on December 10, 2016 and was set to head for the Young Officers' Course in September this year. 

"The Army commits to bringing the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice," news reports quoted an Army spokesman as saying. 

News reports said his family was too scared to report the matter.

They had hoped that he would be returned alive.

Sadly that was not to be.

Meanwhile, Indian defence minister Arun Jaitley called Ummer's killing a "dastardly act of cowardice". 

"Abduction & murder of Lt. Ummer Fayaz by terrorists in Shopian is a dastardly act of cowardice. This young officer from J&K was a role model," Jaitley wrote on Twitter. 

(WION with inputs from agencies)