Festivity punctuated by death and violence

The festive mood was still on when the news of Kashmir’s ‘azadi’ icon Burhan Muzaffar Wani’s killing broke out late in the evening. It was third day after Eid and children in the nearby lane could be seen bursting firecrackers. The mood was enthusiastic and the kids holding their toy guns were seen everywhere — some posing as rebels, some as policemen and others as victims falling to bullets from both sides.
That’s the impact deep-seated turmoil has on the kids in the Valley. The same trauma had made Wani, as a 15-year-old, to take up armed struggle.
Just as the clock struck 10 in the evening, there was a sudden eerie silence. The news of Wani’s death had just broken out. From social media posts by Kashmiri youth, it wasn’t difficult to gauge the level of anger that this was going to generate. That anger soon spilled out on the streets.
In no time, the streets were filled with people raising slogans against Wani’s killing. The loudspeakers in the mosques reverberated with anti-India slogans.
“This is something that has happened after almost 20 years in the history of Kashmir’s conflict,” said Shafiqa (name changed), an elderly woman who had gone out to shop for food items after an undeclared curfew.
“I am afraid to send my son out. I have locked him inside my house so that he doesn’t fall to bullets,” she added.
Wani’s death was followed by funeral processions thronging his native village in Tral, some 40 km from Srinagar. People from many parts of the Valley assembled in hordes to pay their last tributes to the new-age face of militancy. Through active use of social media, Wani had become very popular among the disaffected youths and inspired many of them to support and join him.
In his latest video, Wani had assured the safety of Amaranth Yatris that has been now been suspended due to the unrest. This video too had gone viral and gained support from all factions of people in the Valley.
“I don’t feel our state has a CM. It has become a headless state where the lives of youth have no value,” said Rashid (name changed), in his early teens.
The worrying factor perhaps for the state and the Centre is the immense support from the common people for these young militants.
“Burhan’s death cannot be viewed in isolation. The state is pushing the youth to pick up arms by torturing them. It seems as if the government has declared a war against the common people,” said moderate Hurriyat official Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
The separatists have called for a complete shutdown for two days to mourn the civilian killings. They have also threatened a joint agitation if the alleged human rights violations are not stopped.
In this state of emergency, it’s time the new CM addressed the problem of disaffection. The internet ban and undeclared curfew are no way to address the anger, anxiety and fear among the Kashmiri people.