Welcome to the valley of death where even three-year-old's are not spared by the gun-toting men who bay for the blood of ordinary Kashmiris
A small room is filled with women reciting a eulogy for three-year-old Burhan Bashir Bhat whose body lies on a floor wrapped in a purple blanket. A loosely stitched flower garland slings down his neck as his mother wails uncontrollably.
Cries and shrieks rend the air as Burhan's funeral procession starts for the final journey. Every eye became moist when Burhan's mother calls for him the last time to bid her goodbye.
Welcome to the valley of death where even three-year-old's are not spared by the gun-toting men who bay for the blood of ordinary Kashmiris. But Burhan, in his death, has become a synonym to Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler who woke up Europe to the great refugee crisis.
Suspected militants riding motorcycle sprayed a volley of bullets on Burhan and his father Bashir Ahmad Bhat, a released militant, on Friday evening when they were strolling outside their house at Sagipora village in the apple-rich township of Sopore.
Bhat succumbed to his wounds en route to the hospital while Burhan, who had suffered gunshot wounds in his abdomen, passed away in the hospital.
"My heart goes out to the unfortunate mother of the young child, for whom the passing away of her son in such inhuman circumstances will be an earth-shattering experience", said Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister.
Police suspects the hand of militants operating in the Handwara belt since Sagipora borders the Kupwara district. "We are analysing the ammunition used in the attack. Initial investigation reveals that they were militants operating in Handwara area of Kupwara district", said a police officer.
Burhan's father was a released militant who had crossed over into Pakistan Occupied Kashmir twice for arms training. After serving jail terms twice, Bashir had started life afresh as a normal civilian. "But the past seems to have returned to haunt him and he was killed by the militants", said police officer.
Separatists, who usually look for an opportunity to exploit the situation and fan tensions against the government, woke up late to denounce the killings. Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani called for a shutdown on Sunday against the killings and demanded an impartial probe.
"No religion and no law in the world allows children to be killed in war. The killing of a child is an unpardonable act and tantamount to the killing of the entire humanity. Aylan Kurdi of Syria shook the entire world and Burhan's killing has left entire Kashmir in mourning", said Geelani.
Meanwhile, a bullet-riddled body of Hizbul Mujhadeen militant Fayaz Ahmad Bhat was found in the paddy fields of Devbug village of Tangmarg area of north Kashmir.
While police suspects Fayaz was killed in a tit-for-tat action by Lashkar-e-Islam militants to avenge the killing of its three men recently, the Hizbul Mujhadeen said he was killed in a gun-battle with security forces.
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