Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Muzzafar Wani, was shot dead on Friday by security forces along with two of his accomplices in Kokernag area. Wani was seen as the main draw for many young and educated boys in South Kashmir turning into terrorists in recent months. He featured in videos and photos posing with weapons and taunting security forces, which were circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp in an attempt to recruit young Kashmiri men.
No sooner did news of his death come out, the spin began. Former J & K CM Omar Abdullah seemed more worried about the aftermath rather than congratulating the army for neutralising a major target:
If this is confirmed its big news & will also mean some tense days in parts of the valley. https://t.co/fgqPeFCE8x
— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) July 8, 2016
Soon semi-clean chits were being handed out
There was so much hype around Burhan Wani on social media, so his killing is big. Not sure how many attacks he actually led, though.
— Vikram Chandra (@vikramchandra) July 8, 2016
For all Burhan’s social media activity I don’t recall any militancy incident attributed to him while I was in office. Not sure after that.
— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) July 8, 2016
@tufailelif Which legal code are you referring here which allows ‘terrorist’ to be shot dead. FYI Wani had not led any attack personally.
— Shweta Desai (@BeingBum) July 9, 2016
बहन, पर्सनली तो ओसामा भी प्लेन लेके WTC उड़ाने नहीं गया था। https://t.co/XiwlIn4lj7
— Abhijeet Jha (@DarrKeAage) July 9, 2016
And then the spin:
Mark my words – Burhan’s ability to recruit in to militancy from the grave will far outstrip anything he could have done on social media.
— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) July 9, 2016
For which social media users slammed Omar Abdullah:
The only difference between Zakir and Omar Abdullah is latter is a Politician. Rest all same. #BhuranWani pic.twitter.com/LFL9M6RTM3
— ओमर अब्दुल्लाह (@abdullah_0mar) July 9, 2016
On cue, Hindustan Times started this poll. The media had picked up from where Abdullah left:
#HTpoll | Will #BurhanWani‘s death make the security situation worse in Kashmir? https://t.co/spm9SsgEbG
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) July 9, 2016
Barkha Dutt to joined in, who found it important to give details about the family background of Wani:
Breaking: Burhan Wani hizbul commander, son of school headmaster who used social media as weapon of war, killed in Anantag. BIG STORY
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) July 8, 2016
Social media users were quick to condemn these attempts at sympathising with a wanted terrorist:
Is this code for “Why did we kill a chocolate faced boy, son of a teacher? All he did was Facebook and Twitter”? https://t.co/It131bgJl5
— Srini C (@srinic2) July 8, 2016
Even Mohandas Pai, former member of Infosys Board of Directors was appalled at Barkha Dutt’s tweet:
Big shame why @BDUTT is sympathetic openly to Kashmiri killer terrorists!protected by state,sympathetic killers. RT https://t.co/Mufa1q0afi
— Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) July 9, 2016
More journalists were found to be closet Wani supporters. For example this journalist working for leftist portal TheWire.in termed Wani a “martyr”:
Leftist heroes like Kavita Krishnan and JNU sloganeer and Kanhaiya Kumar’s friend Umar Khalid slammed Wani’s killing. Krishnan, who is a staple panelist on some TV shows called it an “extra-judicial” killing:
Shame on the extra judicial killing of Burhan Wani, and the killing of 8 protesters/mourners in his funeral. https://t.co/zy9muUP1vM
— Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) July 10, 2016
Under no law anywhere in the world can death in a bonafide anti-terrorist operation be termed 'extra judicial'.https://t.co/hpKbctfB3A
— Navdeep Singh (@SinghNavdeep) July 10, 2016
Umar Khalid chose to use this moment to inspire more people to pick the gun:
FB status of Umar Khalid – bharat tere tukde honge, insallah insallah fame pic.twitter.com/MCHwLPH6QV
— IndiaSpeaks (@IndiaSpeaksPR) July 9, 2016
Watering down much? He calls for picking up Wani’s gun and keep shooting. https://t.co/PTbiGjPhvf
— Be’Havin! (@WrongDoc) July 10, 2016
And Kanhaiya himself left a cryptic message saying violence in valley is not the answer. Seems violence can be the answer when Wani and gang wield guns but not when army counter-attacks
किसने उजाड़ा ये चमन
किसने लगाई आग गुलशन में
हर तरफ है हिंसा,मौत और नफरत
क्या बस इतना है बाकि,आदम की फितरत में
ViolenceIsNtSolutionIn #Valley— Kanhaiya Kumar (@kanhaiyajnusu) July 10, 2016
Indian Express went one step ahead and changed its Facebook cover page to that of Wani’s dead body being venerated by Kashmiri Hizbul sympathisers. Social media users were obviously appalled:
This new low of @IndianExpress is utterly fucking disgusting!! pic.twitter.com/SliSw88t6j
— Shwetank (@shwetankbhushan) July 10, 2016
Dear @IndianExpress , please remove ‘Indian’ from your name. Thanks. pic.twitter.com/0NUcl6s20p
— The-Lying-Lama (@KyaUkhaadLega) July 10, 2016
The best though was saved for the last. When India Today journalist Rahul Kanwal tried to find justification for Wani’s radicalisation, albeit a contrived and idiotic justification, for which he was slammed:
Lack of economic opportunity & no hope of a better future is creating generation of young Kashmiris who are acutely frustrated & very angry.
— Rahul Kanwal (@rahulkanwal) July 9, 2016
.@rahulkanwal sir, India ke hazaron villages mein hazaron log yahi problem face karte hain…kitane log aatankwaadi bante hain…Kuch bhi !!
— Paresh Rawal (@Babu_Bhaiyaa) July 9, 2016
Please help us understand how many Kashmiri Pandits,who were made to leave their homes, picked up guns?@rahulkanwal pic.twitter.com/5HFAo1K84y
— गीतिका (@ggiittiikkaa) July 9, 2016
.@rahulkanwal Only Kashmir valley has economic & employment problem, rest of India is booming.
How the hell these dolts become journalists.
— PhD in Bak*****! (@Atheist_Krishna) July 9, 2016
Only a few journalists spoke out against these terrorist sympathisers:
So one shld have let him romanticise terror? Sometimes it’s more imp to crush the inspiration than the terrorist https://t.co/ujx1DCeDho
— Bharti Jain (@bhartijainTOI) July 10, 2016
Any joker who picks up gun has to be & shud be neutralised. Real heroes are the brave hearts who ensure Constitution of India rules supreme
— GAURAV C SAWANT (@gauravcsawant) July 9, 2016
The kind of person who probably calls Tiananmen Square a parade mishap. https://t.co/AlRfar32D6
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) July 10, 2016
For journalists in Delhi shedding tears for terrorist Burhan Wani, being an apologist for Islamist terror, just one thing. You are a coward!
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) July 9, 2016
#BurhanWani was not a separatist or a martyr, he was a bloody terrorist. He killed innocent Kashmiris for money. https://t.co/685YDJ181C
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) July 10, 2016
One incident. Two view points. You decide. pic.twitter.com/2OUtH27Y6e
— Rohit Sardana (@sardanarohit) July 9, 2016
