Srinagar: Thousands attended the funeral on Wednesday of Shakir Ahmad, a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist, in Pulwama district, around 40 km from Jammu and Kashmir capital, Srinagar.
Comparisons have been made with the attendance at another funeral only days ago and not far from Pulwama. When Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was buried at his home town of Bijbehera in Anantnag district, fewer people attended.
Security forces say the number of protesters and mourners at the funerals of terrorists like Shakir Ahmad have been growing bigger over the past year and pose a serious challenge for them. On Wednesday, protesters clashed with the police after the funeral in Pulwama. A man was killed and two were injured, allegedly in police firing.
The massive crowds that gather after a terrorist is killed, say officials, reflect a complex and disturbing reality for Kashmir. They raise the question - is this a new ground swell in support of separatism and terrorists?
According to police sources, 70 young local men have joined terrorism in south Kashmir in the last one year, most prominently, Burhan Wani, a 21-year-old tech-savvy terrorist who is using social media to recruit followers.
The police say protesters also often come out in the Valley to provide cover for terrorists. "Whenever there is a cordon-and-search operation and we learn of the presence of terrorists in that area, you see people are made to come out and protest, sometime leading to violence so that our attention is diverted to allow terrorists to escape," said top Jammu and Kashmir police officer, Javid Gilini.
Now, during every anti-terror operation the police also post anti-riot squads to deal with the crowds that gather. It adds to their task of neutralising terrorism and violence in a complicated environment, law enforcers say.
Comparisons have been made with the attendance at another funeral only days ago and not far from Pulwama. When Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was buried at his home town of Bijbehera in Anantnag district, fewer people attended.
Security forces say the number of protesters and mourners at the funerals of terrorists like Shakir Ahmad have been growing bigger over the past year and pose a serious challenge for them. On Wednesday, protesters clashed with the police after the funeral in Pulwama. A man was killed and two were injured, allegedly in police firing.
The police say protesters also often come out in the Valley to provide cover for terrorists. "Whenever there is a cordon-and-search operation and we learn of the presence of terrorists in that area, you see people are made to come out and protest, sometime leading to violence so that our attention is diverted to allow terrorists to escape," said top Jammu and Kashmir police officer, Javid Gilini.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Stage Set For Phase 1 Of J&K Elections Today, 24 Seats Up For Contest 11.1% Turnout Recorded Till 9 am In Phase 1 Of Jammu And Kashmir Polls : 10 Points 6 Army Commandos Injured After Vehicle Plunges Into Deep Gorge In J&K's Rajouri 3 Grams Of Explosives Per Pager: Israel's Complex Op To Hurt Hezbollah What Is A Pager And Why Hezbollah Still Relies On This Outdated Device "Wear Proper Undergarments": Delta Airlines' New Memo For Flight Attendants Sri Lanka Polls: Frontrunners, What's At Stake, Implications For India Opinion | Should We Be Worried About Unemployable Human Bots? National Cinema Day 2024: Movie Tickets To Cost Just Rs 99 On September 20 Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.