Conflict

Thousands take alternate routes to attend funeral of slain militants, gun salute offered

Representative Photo

Thousands of people, on Sunday, participated in the funeral prayers of top Hizb militant Bilal Ahmad Mohand at Heff, in South Kashmir’s Shopian district. Despite restrictions and strifling of communication channels, several thousand people poured into the streets and reached Shopian.

Kashmir Life reported that as the body of slain militant, was lifted the scenes were poignant amid the chanting of pro-freedom slogans, hailing the “martyr”. The reports said that four armed militants appeared in the funeral procession and offered a gun salute.

Bilal was killed in a gunbattle with armed forces, along with four other militants, including top Hizb commander Sadam Padder and Kashmir University assistant professor Dr Mohammad Rafi Bhat.

The gunfight broke out early Sunday morning in Badigam village after the joint team of Army, SOG and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in the area.

Over a dozen protesters have been injured during clashes near the encounter site.

Reacting over the killing of the professor, former chief minister Omar Abdullah said that his death is the answer to those  who say that jobs is the solution to violence and alienation in Kashmir.

On Friday, in the capital Srinagar, gunmen reportedly gave eight rounds of gun salutes to the slain militant, Fayyaz Hamal. Hamal was killed in Chattabal area of Srinagar, along with his two more accomplices.

 

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