A sea of mourners who offered more than 50 back to back funeral prayers for teenage rebel Burhan Mazaffar Wani participated in his last rites in Tral town of South Kashmir’s Pulwama town. Witnesses said that massive congestion of people made some restless and breathless as all wanted to have a last glimpse of Burhan Wani who was killed along with his two associates in Kokernag belt of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.Shortly after the news about the death of Burhan went viral, thousands of mourners from different districts of Kashmir rushed to Tral town. More than a lakh people participated in the funeral procession of Burhan who was laid to rest around 3 pm Saturday.Majority of the mourners told CNS that they arrived in the town on Friday night. “Some came in their own transport while some arrived by foot. I was shocked after I heard the sad news. I still believe that Burhan is alive,” said a mourner. Reports said that the mourners were in lakhs and due to lack of ample space thousands could not adjust themselves in the Eidgah for prayers. There were female folk mourning the death outside the Eidgah premises.
Despite restrictions people thronged Tral in large numbers. “Thousands of people could not attend the funeral prayers as they were stopped by Army at different checkpoints,” said a mourner.An elderly person Abdul Satar Dar said last time it was Sheikh Abdullah’s funeral procession when he watched so many people. “This time the situation is different. If there would have been no curfew or restrictions and people would have been allowed to freely participate in the funeral prayers, I am sure whole Kashmir would have converged here, still I am telling you that it is the biggest ever funeral prayer I have ever seen with my naked eyes,” Dar said.Everything was managed by a group of volunteers. We didn’t face any hardship. We were offered food including banana’s, biscuits, traditional tehri by people at different places while there were volunteers who would permit the people from one gate and take them out from the other one to manage some sort of discipline,” said a mourner who said he is from Baramulla district.
As the funeral prayers were being offered, two choppers were hovering over Tral skies. Patriotic songs were reverberating from Masjids while youth amid pro-freedom slogans clashed with police.Mourners paid rich tribute to departed militant while women were seen screaming and singing in praise of Burhan. Addressing the mourners, Muzaffar Ahmed Wani, the father of Burhan appealed people not to damage public property. “You can mourn the death of my son Burhan but don’t cause damage to public property. It is our own property and we should not harm it,” he said. Wani added that he has no regrets over the death of his son. “I knew the fate and I knew it well that Burhan will attain martyrdom, but I am pained that my another son Khalid who was innocent was killed in cold blood by Indian Army,” he said.Witnesses said that all but a dozen militants appeared at intervals in Eidgah to join the funeral procession.The armed militants appeared at the funeral venue to pay homage to their slain commander. People also jostled on seeing them. They also fired in air while his body was kept at his home,” the witnesses added. (CNS)