Slain laid to rest amid internet gag, curfew in Kashmir Valley
Qayoom Khan
Srinagar, May 24 : Tens and thousands of people on Friday participated in the multiple funeral prayers of Zakir Musa, Kashmir’s most wanted militant commander, who headed the Al Qaeda affiliate Ansar Gazwatul Hind.
Reports reaching GNS said that thousands of people from various parts of Pulwama, Anantnag, Shopian districts and other places of the Valley reached Noorpora despite curfew and rains to participate in the last rites of Musa who was killed by the government forces in a gunfight on Friday morning.
Musa had escaped from the house where he was initially trapped but was killed this morning in a fresh gunfight in an orchard in Dadsara village of Tral area.
Army along with paramilitary forces and police had started a cordon and search operation last evening following information about the presence of militants there.
An official said Musa was asked to surrender but “instead he hurled grenades and started firing, which was retaliated, triggering off an encounter.”
He said more government forces were rushed to the area to prevent him from escaping under the cover of darkness. The house in which Musa was reportedly trapped was razed to rubble but he had managed to escape even as an AK-rifle and a rocket was recovered. He was trapped in a nearby orchard and was killed after a brief gunfight on Friday morning, the official added.
The authorities have imposed curfew restrictions in major towns across Valley including Pulwama, Awantipora, Srinagar, Anantnag and Budgam as a precautionary measure.
Internet was also snapped across the Valley as a precautionary measure, the officials said. All educational institutions including Universities, schools and colleges have also been closed across the Valley to prevent student protests.
Last night when reports about the killing of Zakir Musa started doing rounds, various parts of Valley including Srinagar, Trehgam in Kupwara and Sopora areas witnessed protests. Students of the University of Kashmir also gathered outside Zakoora campus to protest against the killing.
In Rahmoo, Rajpora, Kakapora, Malangpora villages of Pulwama district, pro-freedom Taranas were played from mosque loudspeakers.
Protests also erupted in Okay, Yaripora and Shouch areas of Kulgam district, Trenz and Imam Shab areas of Shopian district.
Protests were also reported from Soaf-Shali area of Kokernag, Khanabal and Seer Hamdan.
Meanwhile, a police spokesman said that Zakir had a long history of militant crime records since 2013. He was initially associated with the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit then he floated a new militant outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH).
“He was wanted by law for his complicity in a series of militant crimes including attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities,” the spokesman said.
“As per police records Zakir was involved in planning and executing a series of attacks in the area and many other civilian atrocities. Several cases were registered against him. He was involved in case FIR No 126/2014 pertaining to the grenade attack on CISF at Noorpora Check, Case FIR No 135/2014 pertaining to abduction and killing of a civilian Firdous Ahmad Hurrah of Dusoo Pulwama, Case FIR No. 24/2015 pertaining to inciting youth for militant activities, Case FIR No. 39/2016 pertaining to killing of a civilian lady Hameed Bano of Noorpora, Case FIR No. 190/2016 pertaining to snatching of weapons from security forces, Case FIR No. 165/2016 pertaining to arson act on Govt Higher Secondary School Dadsara, Case FIR No. 170/2016 pertaining to anti-National activities, Case FIR No. 80/2017 pertaining to other militant activities, Case FIR No. 139/2017 pertaining to bank dacoity at J&K Bank Noorpora, Case FIR No. 50/2018 pertaining to raising of funds for terrorist activities. Besides, several other cases were registered against him pertaining to militant attacks and civilian atrocities in the area,” the spokesman said.
Further, He was declared as a pro-claimed offender by NIA special court Mohali Punjab on 2nd May 2019 in NIA case RC-39/2018/NIA/DLI. The said case pertains to his involvement in serial blasts at Jalandhar Punjab on 14th September 2018 for which case FIR No. 163/2018 was registered at Police Station Maqsudan Jalandhar. The investigation of the said case was later taken by NIA, the spokesman said. (GNS)
