KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Twelve year old school boy, Junaid Ahmad Akhoon, was laid to rest in a graveyard nearby his house in Saidapora Srinagar on Saturday morning.
However, earlier it was decided to bury him in Martyrs Graveyard located in Kashmir’s largest Eidgah in summer capital.
Little Junaid was hit by pellets in his native area of Saidapora in Eidgah on Friday afternoon. He was critically injured, collapsed and was rushed to SKIMS Soura where doctors admitted him to ICU after operating upon him.
He was lone son of his parents among four children.
Junaid died around 2 AM in the intervening night of Oct 7th and 8th. But family members and other attendants said that doctors delayed declaring him dead. The SKIMS Soura authorities came under pressure after hue and cry was raised in the dead of the night in the hospital.
Body of slain Junaid was brought to his home around 6 AM and was taken to Martyrs Graveyard a little later but hundreds of men in uniform including J&K Police cops and para-military CRPF men wearing riot gear uniform holding assault rifles, tear gas and pellet guns in hands stopped the funeral from proceeding towards the venue for final rites.
The mourners rose in pro-freedom and anti-India sloganeering, however, tear shells rained on the funeral near Aali Masjid on Eidgah-Soura road few hundred metres away from graveyard. The body was laid down on the road as mourners were pushed back due to intense tear gas shelling, news reporters, eye witness to the events, said.
The funeral procession retreated to home of slain Junaid. After some time, the funeral took an alternative road via Wangun pora and reached the Eidgah to bid adieu to the slain minor. However, his wailing mother reached the Martyrs Graveyard and pleased that her son be buried nearby their home. Junaid’s father too had made same request earlier.
The mourners offered funeral prayers of Junaid in Eidgah but buried him in a local graveyard near his home in Saidapora.
He was lowered in his grave around 9:30 AM amid wails, tears and pro-freedom sloganeering.
Meanwhile, clashes erupted in Saidpora, Soura and Aanchar areas.
Three youths were received by SKIMS Soura for treatment. Sources in the hospital said that one of the three injured youths was hit by pellets in back and head and belongs to Saidapora while two others were hit by tear gas shells.
One youth, identified as Moomin, has been hit by tear gas shell in his left leg and belongs to Aanchar area while as another youth, identified as Hilal Ahmad has been hit by tear gas shell and is a neighbour of slain Junaid.
Reports of protests continued to pour in from various adjacent localities of Saidapora when this report was filed.
So far, with the killing of Junaid Ahmad Akhoon, deadly pellets have killed fourteen civilians since July 09, 2016, At least 94 civilians have been killed while 15000 others have been injured in forces action after the death of popular militant commander Burhan Wani on July 08, 2016 in Bemdoora area of Islamabad district in South Kashmir. Kashmir is witnessing an uprising and has entered fourth month in a row. For first 52 consecutive days, J&K Government imposed curfew while there has bee no let up in shutdown by the unified resistance leadership who regularly has been issuing weekly protest calendars.
