Baramulla: Amid shutdown in the town, thousands of people participated in the funeral prayers of three slain militants in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district who were laid to rest in their native graveyards Thursday.
Three local militants, including LeT’s district commander Suhaib Akhoon of Khanpor, Mohsin Mushtaq of Qazihamam and Nissar Darzi of Jamia Mohalla in Old Town were killed in gunfight with government forces in Binner area of the district on Wednesday.
A complete shutdown was observed in the town to mourn the killing of these militants. Authorities had also made heavy deployment of government forces to prevent protests.
Witnesses said that the police and paramilitary forces had sealed all exit and entry roads in Khanpora and Old town areas to restrict mourners from joining in the funerals of the slain militants.
“Defying restrictions, thousands of people including men, women and children from different parts of Baramulla district managed to reach Khanpora and Old town areas and participated in the funeral processions and prayers of the three slain militants,” witnesses said.
In Khanpora, large number of mourners shouting pro-freedom and pro-Islam slogans carried slain militant Shoaib Akhoon’s body in a procession to the graveyard for burial.
In Old town Baramulla, mourners shouldered the body of two militants — Nisar and Mohsin — and marched through the streets before taking them for burial.
All shops and other business establishments are shut while traffic in Old town remained off the roads.
Journalists from Baramulla and those who had come from Srinagar to cover the funerals were barred from covering the funerals.
A photojournalist Bilal Bahadur suffered injuries while covering the funeral prayers of two slain militants in Old town. Bahadur, his colleagues said, fell down from a truck he had climbed on to click pictures of the funeral.
Meanwhile, mobile Internet service also remained suspended in Baramulla town and Khanpora areas today.
