Kulgam gunfight aftermath: Shutdown, Clashes in Kulgam areas

Kulgam: As police Tuesday confirmed the killings of three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants in a gunfight that took place in Kulgam district of south Kashmir Monday this week, shutdown and intense clashes were reported from the Kulgam areas and several rounds of funeral prayers were offered for the local militant killed in the gunfight in his native village Hiblish.
A police official said three militants killed in Kulgam gunfight included two LeT Pakistani militants identified as Furqan and Maviya and a local militant, Yawar Bashir of Hablish village of Kulgam. He said another militant was arrested alive from the site of the gunfight. His identity was not immediately known. Police Tuesday said that after pursuing the leads available at Qazigund encounter one individual Rashid Ahmed Allai son of Farooq Ahmed of Hamzapora Sangam Bijbehera was arrested from Janglatmandi maternity hospital in South Kashmir with a Chinese pistol and live cartridges Tuesday night. Pertinently, this individual was missing since last two days from his house and had joined the Yawar group of LeT.
Thousands of people participated in the last rites of local slain militant Yawar Bashir at his native village Hiblish in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Reports said that back to back multiple funeral prayers were offered in favour of the slain militants amid pro-Islam and pro freedom slogans.
Yawar Bashir along with his two associates was killed in Bhadragund-Bonigam area on Srinagar-Jammu highway. Yawar according to his family members was a Hafiz-e-Quran.
Police, according to reports reaching Srinagar, handed over the body of slain militant to family on Monday night. Thousands of mourners visited his native village.
A police official said that two non-local militants Furqan Ahmed and Abu Maviya who were also killed in the gunfight were laid to rest in the dead of the night at Gantmulla in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
There are couple of grave yards reserved for non-local militants in North Kashmir. Meanwhile, the killing of these militants sparked spontaneous shutdown in Kulgam and its adjoining areas.
Massive clashes erupted in several areas of Kulgam district after the killing of these pellets.Eyewitnesses and reports said that clashes erupted near the site of gunfight in Nusu Badragund and Bonigam villages in Qazigund.
They said government forces resorted to tear-gas shelling to disperse the protesters, who in return pelted the forces with stones.
Clashes were also reported from Vesu and Devsar areas besides other adjoining villages. An eye witness said that the traffic on Srinagar-Jammu highway was affected due to the clashes near Qazigund. Officials said the traffic was diverted to Verinag-Anantnag highway.
The authorities suspended the train and Internet services in twin districts of Anantnag and Kulgam.