Militants at funerals a new flashpoint in Valley conflict

SRINAGAR Militants attending the public funeral of their slain colleagues and offering gun salutes has been a trend for some time now.

But over the last few months, not only has the frequency of such appearances increased, they are getting brazen like never before, firing several rounds in the air and mingling with the crowd in full glare of cameras. Abu Dujana, the top LeT militant in Kashmir killed by security forces on Wednesday, had reportedly attended the funeral of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani on July 9 last year. This Sunday, Riyaz Naikoo, a 30-year-old A++ category militant from south Kashmir, appeared at the funeral of a slain militant Shariq Ahmad Sheikh. Dressed in a grey T-shirt and brandishing an assault rifle, Naikoo was filmed addressing a large gathering of villagers about his “struggle for freedom from India”, before they will continue neutralising militants, which will automatically stop their appearance at funerals. Earlier, most militants used to avoid the cameras, quietly appearing at funerals and leaving soon after giving a "gun salute". But now, photos of their brazen appearances are splashed across newspapers and on television .

On May 7, a group of four militants appeared at the funeral of slain insurgent Fayaz Ahmed alias Setha in Kulgam district, and fired several rounds in the air. Photos of all four dressed in traditional overcoat and automatic rifles in hands, made to the front pages of many newspapers. Funerals of slain militants often see huge turnouts and several rounds of prayers.

Security sources say militants attend these for several reasons: first, to “express their love for their departed accomplices”, second “spread propaganda and garner support for militancy" and third, as a show of strength against frequent neutralisation by forces.