Mohammad Abu Bakr
SOPORE
The slain Sopore militant was laid to rest on Tuesday evening amid-intense pro-freedom sloganeering in his native village.
Identified as Sameer Ahmad Wani, he was divisional commander of Hizbul Mujahideen.
He died in an early Tuesday gun battle with forces in Kupwara’s Nagri area. The news of Sameer’s death resulted in heavy stone pelting near encounter site by the local youth.
The local youth engaged in intense stone pelting with the police.
As the news of Sameer’s death reached Sopore, hundreds of protestors boarded in around 50 load carriers, tippers and vehicles for Kupwara to recover body of slain Sameer Ahmad Wani reflecting the scenes of 2008 “Muzafarabad Chalo”. They were chanting pro-freedom slogans like “Hum Kya Chahte – Aazadi; Asalam Aslam Aey Shaheedo Asalam…”.
The post mortem of Sameer’s body was carried out in police lines Kupwara where his body was handed over to his relatives.
Army Commander Raju Ranjan of Dragmulla Camp claimed to have recovered ammunition from the militant.
When the body reached his home village Dooru, thousands of people from different parts of north Kashmir assembled to pay tributes and offer funeral prayers.
Women showered candies and Rose petals on Sameer’s mortal remains. His body was laid to rest at around 6 PM.
The youth who had come to offer funeral prayers resorted to stone pelting and set ablaze a police vehicle.
Sameer joined Hizbul Mujahideen, a militant organization, in May 2014. He had studied up to 9th class and worked at a bakery in his village before joining militancy.
Sameer’s father, Mohammad Samandar Wani said, “he is happy for the path Sameer had chosen.” “If I had ten sons, I would let them take the same path,” Wani said.
