Based on the analysis of its UAV footages, the Army is claiming that the total number of people who attended the funeral of Burhan Wani, the young militant killed on July 8, did not cross 7,000, and no firings took place during the funeral.
A senior army officer made the claim in the wake of reports from Kashmir Valley that said that up to 2 lakh people attended the funeral at Tral, Wani’s hometown in south Kashmir. Some media reports also claimed that some masked militants who attended the funeral had fired in the air. Also, among the report was about 500 youths from Srinagar attending the funeral and promising to take up arms.
“We have analysed the UAV footage in detail. Not more than 7,000 people attended the funeral,” he said. The officer also disputed other claims.
On July 9, when the funeral of the 22-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen commander was held in Tral, people had poured out onto the streets of Valley in large numbers. Security forces blocked roads leading to Tral.
Reports had said that several funeral prayers were offered at the ground near Wani’s home. Some reports had also claimed that the militants had paid gun salute to him by firing in the air.
