Junaid Bhat
Sopore: Slain militant commander Qayoom Najar was laid to rest at his ancestral village in Batpora area of Sopore late Tuesday night following two rounds of funeral prayers.
A witness said that Najar was laid to rest amid pro-freedom slogans at his ancestral graveyard in Mumkak Batpora around 11 pm.
He said that two rounds of funeral prayers were held at Kranshivan colony and Jamia Masjid Sopore.
Meanwhile, authorities imposed strict restrictions on the movement of motorists and pedestrians in Sopore town of north Kashmir to prevent protests against his killing on Wednesday.
Reports said that police and paramilitary personnel sealed all the entry and exit points of the town and disallowed the movement of pedestrians and motorists in the area.
They said that Main Chowk, tehsil road, court road and Chanakhan areas were sealed by the forces.
Najar, believed to be one of the longest surviving militants in Kashmir, was killed in a gunfight with government forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Lachipora Uri of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district yesterday, police said.
“In a very significant achievement for Police and security forces, Ab. Qayoom Najar @ Jansahib @ Ishfaq S/O Ab. Rashid Najar R/O Mumkak Sopore who has been active since year 1999 has got killed today in an encounter near Zorawar Post of Lachiproa Uri,” said an official.
He said that Najar had crossed over to Pakistan in 2015 and was returning to take command of Hizb ul Mujahideen.
