Brain Stormer: Burhan Wani's death may not be his end

New-age Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani’s killing by security forces on Friday is equally the best and worst of things that could have happened in Kashmir at this time when militancy is again rearing its ugly head. Over the past few years, there has been an undeniable churn in the valley where local youths, many of them well-educated and not poor, are taking up arms, for the first time since the early 1990s, to protest what they see as the heavy-handedness of the Indian state.

Security experts believe that it was the crackdown on protest movements in 2008 and 2010 that fuelled this current wave of home-grown militancy as well as radicalisation. And Burhan Wani, all of 22 at the time of his death, is a text-book example of the trouble that is brewing. Raised in the militant-infested Sharifabad area of Tral in south Kashmir, Wani was the son of a retired school principal and a teacher.  In 2010, he had just cleared his Class X examination and secured 90 per cent marks when he, his brother and a friend were reportedly beaten up by local security forces.

Soon after, Wani left home and joined the militancy. Notably, he didn’t cross the border but trained locally. Within a year, he emerged as one of the top commanders of the Hizbul Mujahideen, primarily because of his large fan following on social media. Wani was a household name. He routinely released provocative photos and videos – one of such picture, shared last year, showed him with 10 other gun-toting local youths, went viral – and waged psychological warfare. He encouraged other youths to follow suit, and such was his impact that the Hizbul Muhajideen today has become a bigger force than the lashkar-e-Tayyeba. His elimination then on Friday is, no doubt, a big win for the security forces.

He had already grown too big, and with a 10 lakh rupees bounty on his head, he had to be taken out. That said, there is a definite possibility that if the immediate aftermath of his death is not handled properly, Burhan Wani will only momentum to the militancy even as he is lowered into his grave. Already, protests, hartals and shutdowns have been called; his funeral procession is likely to attract thousands and could potentially turn violent, fuelling more protests and killings. The days ahead will be challenging, to say the least.