Srinagar: In the midst of pro-freedom slogans, thousands of Kashmiris here on Sunday participated in the funeral rites of slain militant Bashir Lashkari who was killed by the Indian security forces in an encounter on Saturday in the Anatnag district of South Kashmir.
As reported by the media Bashir Lashkari along with his aide and two civilians which included a women were gunned down in a joint operation by the CRPF, J&K Police and the Indian Army on Saturday in the Brinty Dialgam area of Anantnag district.
Thousands of people on Sunday participated in the funeral prayers of Lashkari at his ancestral Soaf-shali village of Kokernag in Anantnag. They shouted slogans demanding freedom from Indian rule as they took his body to the graveyard for burial, media reports said.
Meanwhile, businesses, shops and offices were closed while traffic was off the roads in capital Srinagar and other districts in response to the call of separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik to protest the killings of civilians.
Authorities imposed restrictions on the direction of District Magistrate Srinagar in major parts of the old city and some uptown areas. They said that restrictions under Section 144 of CrPC were in force in Nowhatta, MR Gunj, Rainawari, Khanyar, Safakadal, Maisuma and Kralkhud “as a precautionary measure, to avoid any untoward incident”.
The police and CRPF were heavily deployed in sensitive areas of the Valley to prevent any escalation of protests.
“The (government) forces are selectively killing our youth on one hand, on the other entire pro-freedom leadership has been caged, and we are not even allowed to express sympathy and solace with the bereaved families. The ruling regime has crossed all limits of repression and killings; imposition of curfews, restrictions and curbs has become an everyday affair in Kashmir,” reads a quote from the statement of seperatists published in a local vernacular.
It is reported that till date around 22 unarmed civilians has been killed indiscriminately by the Indian security forces by accusing them to be stone-pelters with reference to the statement given by Indian Army cheif Gen Bipin Rawat early this year in which he clearly threatened those protesting army atrocities.