Causing major embarrassment to the ruling dispensation both in the State and the Centre, J&K Deputy Chief Minister Prof Nirmal Singh on Saturday claimed Hizbul Mujahideen's poster boy Burhan Wani was killed 'accidentally' in the routine anti-terrorist operation.
Interacting with the media persons on the sidelines of a function in the Katra base camp of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, Prof Singh said, "Burhan Wani was killed accidentally during a routine anti- terrorist operation".
"It was a routine anti-terrorist operation in which three terrorists were killed. The security forces were not aware Burhan Wani was present inside the hideout. They had information about the presence of three terrorists when the routine operation was launched. The identity of the terrorists was not known to them. This is what the police officers and security forces briefed us. It is only after the operation was over they came to know about the identity of the slain terrorists," said Prof Singh, adding recently when four Pakistani terrorists were eliminated by the security forces in the Valley their identity was ascertained only after the operation was over. In this case too identity of Burhan Wani was established after he was killed accidentally", Prof Singh told reporters.
Defending the State Governments response to the volatile situation in different parts of Kashmir Valley, Prof Singh claimed there was no delay on the part of the State Government to control the law and order situation in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen's poster boy Burhan Wani on July 8".
Prof Singh claimed such operations would continue to eliminate gun-totting terrorists in the State. "If they will not surrender there is no other way to deal with them but to eliminate them in this fashion", he added.
Since July 8 different parts of Kashmir Valley have been witnessing 'endless' cycle of violence in which around 50 people have lost their lives and several hundred were left injured, including security personnel.
Earlier, on July 28 Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had created a piquant situation for the security forces by claiming security forces were unaware about the presence of Burhan Wani inside the hideout.
"If security forces were aware about the presence of Burhan Wani he would have been given a 'chance', Mehbooba had said in response to a straight question whether security forces knew about his whereabouts at the time of the operation.
Meanwhile, official spokesperson of the State BJP Unit Sunil Sethi in a written statement on July 28, had claimed "security forces have achieved major success by killing Burhan Wani and all nationalists are proud of".
"No repentance was ever exhibited by Burhan Wani nor there is anything to indicate that he wanted to leave the path of violence and terrorism and as such there was neither scope nor question of any second chance or mercy being shown to him and if security forces would not have killed him he would have continued his terrorist activities," Sethi had stated in his written statement to the Press.
Responding to the statement of Prof Singh, Congress spokesperson in Jammu Ravinder Sharma said, “It is very unfortunate instead of boosting the morale of the security forces the State Government is sending a wrong message to them and emboldening the separatist forces.” He said such irresponsible statements would further aggravate the ground situation across Kashmir Valley.
