Video showing militant’s mother giving gun salute to him goes viral

: A video purportedly showing a woman pulling trigger of a gun held by a man in Kashmir went viral on social media on Monday.

Locals in Shopian said the woman who pulled the trigger was mother of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Saddam Padder and militant Zeenatul Islam was holding the gun at the funeral of Padder on Monday. Police said they are unaware of any such thing. Padder was among the five militants killed in an encounter with security forces on Sunday.

The gun salute by Padder’s mother before the burial has happened for the first time in Kashmir militancy. Locals confirmed to HT that the incident happened around 9.30am in Heff village, Shopian, the native village of Padder.

“Padder’s mother pulled the trigger as Zeenatul Islam (HM militant) held the gun in his hands. The same thing was repeated by another woman relative,” said a local who witnessed the funeral. “There were around 10 militants present at the funeral. After funeral prayers, Saddam was buried at around 11.30am,” he said.

The video begins with a militant shouting slogans and people including women repeating after him. Zeenatul holds the gun and fires in air with people shouting slogans. Another masked man holding gun fires a few shots. It is then a woman with green ‘pheran’ comes forward and hugs and kisses the gun holding militant. She then puts her finger on the trigger and presses it.

Senior SP, Shopian, Shailendra Kumar said the internet was not working and thus he was unaware of any such thing.

Padder was among 10 militants who had posed with then HM commander Burhan Wani in a picture and gave traction to militancy in Kashmir.