8 killed in Kashmir clashes

At least eight people were killed and scores wounded in southern Kashmir on Saturday as violence erupted over the killing of top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani , sparking fears of an upsurge in militancy in the region.

Wani’s body was buried in his hometown Tral amid mass wailing and angry anti-India slogans, a day after security forces gunned down the 21-year-old militant who was the face of militancy in Kashmir over the last five years. Witnesses said at least two militants fired pistol rounds in the air to salute their fallen commander.

‘Tum kitney Burhan maroge, har ghar se Burhan nikley ga (How many Burhans will you kill, every house in Kashmir will produce one),’ chanted the crowd, carrying Wani’s body wrapped in a Pakistani flag.

Fearing that the killing could lead to violent protests in the already troubled region, thousands of armed police and paramilitary soldiers in riot gear fanned out across most towns and villages in the region and drove through neighborhoods, warning residents to stay indoors.

Signs of such an escalation in violence were clear hours later as mobs pelted stones and attacked police stations in Anantnag and Baramulla districts and vandalised a BJP office in Kulgam.

Amid the outpouring of grief and rage over Wani’s death in the Valley, experts feared the killing might lurch Kashmir back to the worst days of insurgency in the 1990s when attacks were reported daily, the local economy tanked and residents fled the region in droves. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, according to official figures, over the past quarter century.

‘Burhan’s ability to recruit into militancy from the grave will far outstrip anything he did on social media. Kashmir’s disaffected got a new icon y’day,’ former chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted on Saturday.
Widespread clashes erupted at many places in southern Kashmir as thousands of residents hurled rocks at troops who responded with gunfire and tear gas.

The deaths were reported from Anantnag, Kulgam, Bijbehara and Kokernag. One person drowned in the Jhelum as security forces sought to disperse a violent mob.

Kashmir police said protesters attacked several police and paramilitary posts in the region, leaving about 90 security men injured. Source said at least three police stations were attacked and burned down in Pulwama and Tral.

Three policemen were missing with their weapons, said additional director general of police, CID, Shiv M Sahai.

Police said they showed restraint while taking on protesters. ‘Many places that last witnessed protests only in 2010 have erupted. Relatively peaceful areas witnessed heavy stone pelting,’ said a police officer.

Anticipating long-drawn trouble, the central government rushed additional paramilitary forces to Kashmir.

‘We expected trouble after his killing. That’s why Amarnath Yatra has been suspended. We hope the situation to calm down by tomorrow,’ said a senior home ministry official who is not authorized to speak to media.

Many Kashmiris took to social media to pay their tribute to the 21-year-old, who joined the Hizbul when he was just 15 and became the poster boy of militancy in the Valley, recruiting hundreds of youngsters with provocative videos and posts.

‘Every house in the area hosted mourners who came from other parts of the state,’ said a Tral resident. Even militants dropped by to pay their respects to Wani, sources said.

Wani, the son of a school headmaster and a bright student, took up the gun 10 days before his Class 10 boards after his brother was reportedly humiliated by the armed forces during the 2010 street protests that shook Kashmir and left more than 100 people dead.

He was buried next to his brother, Khalid, who was killed in crossfire between militants and police last year.

But in the last six years, through his viral photographs in military fatigues or slick video messages, Wani became the face of a new generation of militants who were educated, well-to-do and residents of Kashmir.

Tackling the violence is a big test for the state government, especially the Peoples Democratic Party, as its ally BJP is expected to face local anger. The saffron party is unpopular because it is in power at the Centre and its public stances - such as support for a beef ban - are seen as aimed against the Valley’s Muslim-majority population.

Wani’s death is also a big personal test for chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who took charge in April and is said to be facing opposition in the Valley over her alliance with the BJP.

But despite the violence, the BJP-PDP coalition government indicated it will not back down with BJP leader Ram Madhav saying an ‘uncompromising’ fight against terrorism is important for development.

Authorities closed the Jammu-Srinagar highway and prevented fresh batches of Amarnath Yatris from proceeding to Srinagar from Jammu. Railway services were suspended and examinations scheduled for Saturday postponed.