SRINAGAR: The death of a police constable has triggered an intense anger and resentment against militants at a village in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district – an unexpected turnaround in the wake of the five-month unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani.
Over the last few months, Kashmir has been witnessing an upsurge in the number of mourners at the funerals of militants. But on Sunday, thousands attended the funeral of Abdul Kareem.
Constable Abdul Kareem, 40, was killed on Saturday after he was shot by a group of militants whom he had intercepted at a road crossing Chougal, on Kupwara – Srinagar road.
“Whoever killed him, I will never call him a Mujahid. He is a terrorist. I’m categorically saying this, whatever the consequences may be. It is terrorism and this terrorism should stop,” said his relative Abdul Kabir.
In recent years, massive crowds have turned up for the funerals of militants – triggering worry for both the state government and New Delhi. During the unrest since July, the hostility against the local police had deepened so that policemen could not go home, fearing attacks by crowds. Since July, there have been several incident of policemen being targeted.
“If they call killing anybody Jihad, we don’t accept it. Ask his widow, who will be delivering child today. Ask his children,” said Abdul Gani Sheikh, a neighbour.
“This is not jihad. It is against Islam,” said another local, Mohammad Jamal. “We will say good bye to such jihad where people are being murdered.”
Kareem had worked as a Special police officer or SPO for more than 12 years before he was recruited in regular police force in 2013. The locals say he never harassed anybody and was always ready to help the needy, which accounted for the hero’s buria. Leading his funeral was local legislator Engineer Rashid, who is often known for anti-government and pro- separatist views.
Mawar area is a transit route for the infiltrating militants and there have been several encounters between terrorists and security forces in the recent past.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
