He was blown to bits after ramming a car full of explosives into the army barracks in Srinagar. His father Mohammed Yusuf Shah, a retired lecturer and mother Halima, a teacher, are devastated not just at the loss of their son but the inexplicable circumstances of his death. He was a meek, religious child and least interested in politics. The daily uncertainties of life and death have fuelled an alarming rise in psychotic disorders among the young. In Srinagar's main SMHS hospital, there are three to four cases of suicide or attempted suicide by young people reported almost every day.
Doctors say that girls appear far more prone to suicide than boys.
With the growing violence on the streets and strict restrictions on dress and behaviour imposed on them by militant groups, girls spend most of their time indoors. Those who venture outside do so at a risk. A few weeks ago, a girl was shot at on Srinagar's main boulevard for wearing jeans. Juvenile crimes, virtually unknown before in the Kashmir valley, are also mounting. Many of these are believed to be committed by children of families affected by the conflict which is estimated to have left nearly 10,000 orphans in Srinagar alone.