Gun toting militants attended funeral of slain terrorist in Kulgam

Gun toting militants embarrass security forces by turning up for a funeral

May 8, 2017

Embarrassed security forces launches manhunt to track them down

[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]B[/dropcap]arely three days after Indian army launched a major crack down and carried out door to door search operations in more than two dozen villages of Shopian to help civilian government establish rule of law on ground zero a group of gun toting militant commanders surfaced on Sunday during the funeral of a slain terrorist in Kulgam district and fired shots in air to pay their last respects.

Embarrassed security forces maintained they have already launched a manhunt to track them down.

The entire security grid was left stunned to find militants ‘standing tall’ brandishing AK 47 rifles.

Even when pictures of these militants went viral on various social media platforms the security forces could not do much to track them down.

Ironically, large number of locals who were present in the funeral sheltered these militants as they walked freely before making a disappearing act.

Before leaving these militants paid their last respect to their colleague by opening fire in air.

Embarrassed security forces maintained they have already launched a manhunt to track them down.

Militants in the habit of attending funerals of militant commanders?

[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]E[/dropcap]arlier, in the past too militants had made their presence felt on number of occasions. Even when Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was laid to rest in July 2016 his funeral was attended by large number of local militant commanders. Ironically, when former Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed passed away after a brief illness in January 2016 his funeral procession was compared with that of local militant commanders who had started attracting thick crowds.

Meanwhile, Deputy inspector general of police, S P Pani told reporters in Kashmir, “the incident is being investigated”.

This time the presence of militants in the funeral has shocked security forces as they had recently conducted a thorough cordon and search operations in Shopian to prevent them from declaring some of the south Kashmir areas as liberated zones.

Highly placed sources in the state machinery revealed that if the foot soldiers of the Indian army had not decided to conduct cordon and search operations some of the areas in South Kashmir could have been declared liberated zones with no presence of state govt machinery on ground zero. All efforts were made to parade large number of militants in the area to establish their rule of law and paste posters declaring ‘Azadi’. Senior serving officers were even pressurised to put in their papers to take a plunge in the ongoing ‘Azadi’ movement.

Meanwhile, Deputy inspector general of police, S P Pani told reporters in Kashmir, “the incident is being investigated”.

According to police sources at least four militants had attended funeral of the slain militant identified as Fayaz Ahmad.

The police said the slain militant was wanted by the country’s counter-terrorism National Investigation Agency (NIA) and carried a reward of Rs 2 lakh on his head. His name had cropped up after the August 2015 Udhampur attack in which two BSF troopers and a militant were killed near Samroli.

Ahmed was among the militants that attacked a police convoy in Kulgam on Saturday evening, which also left three civilians and a policeman dead.