- 16-yr-old Fardeen’s video recorded before attack on CRPF camp goes viral
- Manzoor wanted his property to be distributed among his kin
Multiple funeral prayers were held for two Jaish militants Manzoor Ahmad Baba and 16-year-old Fardeen Ahmad Khanday, who were killed in fidayeen attack on CRPF camp at Lethpora in Pulwama district yesterday, at their native places in south Kashmir on Monday.
Manzoor, 19, son of late Ali Mohammad Baba, was laid to rest in his native village of Drabgam in Pulwama this afternoon.
Despite restrictions, thousands of people participated in Manzoor’s funeral prayers amidst chanting of pro-freedom, pro-Islamic and anti-India slogans.
Eyewitness said five funeral prayers were offered for the slain militant. The police, CRPF and army men had sealed all the entry routes to Drabgam, a village around 14 kilometres from district headquarters, to prevent people from reaching there and attending the funeral prayers of Manzoor.
As the force personnel prevented youth from moving towards Drabgam, the agitated youth pelted stones on them. The force personnel fired teargas shells and pellets to disperse the agitating youth.A youth sustained injury in the face and was rushed to District Hospital Pulwama.
“He has a minor face injury and it is being ascertained whether it was a pellet or firearm injury,” a doctor said.
Manzoor, according to his relatives, had joined militant ranks on November 4 last year after being detained by police a number of times on suspicion of being a militant sympathiser. “He was a driver and living separately. He had constructed a new house three years back and went missing in November last year to join militant ranks,” they said. He had recorded his will in a video that his property be distributed between his elder brother and sister.
Meanwhile, five rounds of funeral prayers were also held for Fardeen in Tral town amidst pro-freedom and anti-India sloganeering. The twin districts of Pulwama and Shopian observed complete shutdown today. The shutdown was observed to mourn the killing of two militants. Spontaneous shutdown was also observed in Tral town. No organization had called for a shutdown in the twin districts. Meanwhile, video of Fardeen son of a serving policeman filmed before the fidayeen attack on CRPF camp has gone viral on social media.
Seated between three AK assault rifles, a huge cache of ammunition, grenades and communication devices, Khanday said, “By the time the video is released I will already be a new guest in heaven”. Urging youth to join militancy, he said, “Jihad is also faraz (mandatory) for a Muslim. The importance of jihad increases when infidels occupy our land and threaten the modesty of our women”.
“My friends and I have listened to the call of Holy Quran and plunged into the battlefield of jihad. This will continue till the last Indian army man is present in Kashmir,” he said in eight-minute video in Urdu. Fardeen, who joined militancy three months back, said it was being made out as if unemployment was driving Kashmiri youth to take to militancy. “But the fact is that it is nothing but propaganda”. He also invoked the Babri Masjid demolition to ask Indian Muslims to join‘Jihad’ Mentioning the Fidayeen attacks on Nagrota, Uri, Pathankote, Airport, DPL Pulwama police lines, he said, “It is impossible to stop Jaish-e-Mohammad. We are roaring.”
It was for the first time that a militant has recorded a video message before getting killed in the encounter with forces.
