Curfew imposed, tension in Valley over Musa killing

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, May 24

Even as the police on Friday morning confirmed the killing of most-wanted militant Zakir Musa in a gunfight in south Kashmir, tension gripped the entire Valley as authorities imposed curfew and restrictions to thwart any protest or violence, paralysing normal life.

The gunfight erupted late on Thursday evening in Dadsara area of Tral and soon there were reports that Musa was among the militants trapped. After several hours of suspense and intense firing, the police and the Army today confirmed the death of Zakir Rasheed Bhat alias Zakir Musa, the head of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, an Al-Qaeda affiliate.

“We had inputs about Musa’s presence. Asked to surrender, he chose to open fire. The exchange continued for a few hours before he was gunned down,” a police official said. The police later issued a statement listing the cases registered against Musa, including of serial blasts in Jalandhar (Punjab) on September 14 last year.

Musa’s body was handed over to his family around 7 am. By then, hundreds of people had reached his village and despite curbs on movement, thousands more arrived for the funeral prayers.

The day passed off peacefully across south Kashmir, though there were reports of minor clashes at several places. Colleges and schools were shut and mobile Internet services snapped across the Valley.