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On 9 November, a cordon was laid around a nondescript house in Tujjar village of north Kashmir. Trapped inside was a local youth, an LeT militant named Bashir Ahmad. The stage was set for his first and, probably, the last battle.
But Bashir was unrelenting, ordering the house owner to hang up. "Then we got his father to convince him. I assured them that no legal action would be taken if he surrendered," SP Harmeet said. Bashir hung up the call for the second time.
Some moments later, the Lashkar militant walked out of the house, unarmed, a rare occurrence in the bloodied counter-insurgency warfare in Kashmir.
Some weeks after Burhan Wani was killed and the resultant precipitation transformed into an ugly dance of protests and killings on the streets, a young boy, inspired by the Hizbul Mujahideen commander's tragic story, followed in his footsteps.
A resident of Kellar village in Pulwama, Khandey went on to join Hizbul Mujahideen, until 5 November, when forces cordoned off a forested area in Dobijan along the historic Mughal Road, and killed him.
In his death, Burhan has become an inspiration for entrants of 'new insurgency' popularised by the Hizbul commander in last two years. According to officials, between 250-300 militants are presently active in Kashmir, a jump of more than 100 since last year.
Of these, sources say, at least 25-35 youths, mostly from south Kashmir, joined rebels after Burhan's encounter in Kokernag village. Khandey was one of them. One of his friends, who spoke on the condition of anonymity with The Quint, said the Hizbul commander was an inspiration for him.
Although police puts the figure of new recruits at 25, unofficially the number is almost double. Since the unrest started, at least 60 weapons have been snatched from security personnel. For the first time in many years, police sources say militant footprints have been seen in central Kashmir's Budgam district, which was declared militancy free some years ago.
Harassment of ordinary people in the name of security keeps the pot boiling in Kashmir. During encounters, the killing of local militants, some of whom turn out to be well-educated lads belonging to respectable families, adds fuel to the fire which chars the idea of reconciliation in Kashmir. The anger reflects during the funerals where thousands, comprising children, women and elderly, turn up to pay their respects to their 'fallen heroes'.
The phenomenon of 'new insurgency' and the unfolding mayhem in Kashmir over the last two years, which coincided with the coming to power of the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, has now prompted a rethink in the security establishment.
While encouraging militants trapped in an encounter to surrender is part of Standard Operating Procedure, it is rarely followed. However, the chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti, is pushing a new idea: Forces must "encourage" militants trapped in encounters, especially locals, to surrender.
Interestingly, J&K's civilian government has told the Army to bring parity in reward for successfully encouraging a militant to surrender with killing one. "Burhan's killing brought the entire Kashmir on to the streets. We don't want a repeat of it," a senior government officer said.
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