• Thousands attend funeral prayers in Bijbehara
• Pakistani flag hoisted at CM’s ancestral house
• Day-long clashes between youth and cops
Thousands of people attended the funeral prayers of three Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Bijbehara town of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district amid shutdown. The militants were killed in a gunfight with forces at Aishmuqam on Monday.After the burial of militants, violent clashes erupted in the town and continued throughout the day and angry youth hoisted Pakistani flag at Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s ancestral house.
Adil Shiekh, son of Fayaz Ahmad Shiekh, of Shiekh Mohalla area in Bijbehara town; Tanveer Ahmad Bhat son of Mubarak Ahmad of Baba Mohalla locality of Bijbehara and Sartaj Ahmad Lone son of Gul Muhammad Lone of Wopzan village in outskirts of Bijbehara town were killed in a brief gunfight with forces in Siligam village of Aishmuqam area.
The bodies of two militants from main town Bijbehara were kept at their respective residences for the night and a funeral was conducted this morning.
Hundreds of people, including women and children, attended the funeral procession amidst chanting of pro-freedom, anti-India and anti-Mufti slogans.
Separatist leaders GHulam Nabi Sumbji and Mir Hafizullah addressed the gathering.
Hurriyat (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, also addressed the funeral procession telephonically.
“People should understand that the pro-Indian politicians are responsible for these killings and must desist from supporting them any which way,” Geelani said.
The funeral procession was held at a newly constructed park, which happens to be Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s pet project.
Following the burial, scores of youth and women clashed with police and paramilitary CRPF. The cops resorted to tear gas shelling and baton charge to disperse the youth, who pelted stones and bricks on them. The clashes continued throughout the day during which some persons sustained injuries.
Traffic remained affected on the highway after police diverted vehicles to Byepass Bijbehara area as clashes spilled over to the highway.
Meanwhile, angry youth this morning hoisted a Pakistani flag on the outer walls of the complex housing Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s ancestral house in Bijbehara.
The flag was hoisted on the outer walls of the older house within the complex, which now serves as a waiting room for PDP workers.
PDP Coordinator and Mufti’s nephew, Mufti Sajad, lives in the house now with his family.
The flag was later removed by the security personnel guarding the house.
Police, however, maintained that the flag was hoisted on a house adjacent to CM’s ancestral house.
Later, as the clashes intensified angry youth attacked the house with stones.
Huge contingents of police and paramilitary CRPF were brought in to protect the house.
However youth kept fighting pitched battles with the security personnel.
The Bijbehara town and other parts of South Kashmir observed shutdown in response the strike called by Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani.
All shops and business establishments in Bijbehara remained closed while vehicular traffic was off the roads.
Meanwhile, Lashkar-e-Toiba paid tributes to the slain militants. In an email statement, LeT spokesman, Abdullah Gaznawi alleged that the forces used tear gas shells against the people who had gathered to attend the funerals.
“People should work shoulder to shoulder with the militants for their rights. The slain militants have shown us a way to achieve freedom,” he said.
