Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir police has said that scholar-turned militant Mannan Wani had travelled from southern Kashmir to northern Kashmir to cross over the LoC into Pakistan Administered Kashmir, a report said on Sunday.
“It was on Monday that Mannan managed to reach north Kashmir, an official from the team tracking Mannan revealed,” the report said.
“It was not the gun that was disturbing us, but Mannan’s write-ups were becoming instrumental in propagating the message of militants. It was luring more youth towards militancy,” the top police official said.
“The militant leadership wanted Mannan to be in the safe zone so that he would keep doing his work untroubled, police say,” New18 reported.
“Once on the other side of the LoC, Mannan’s writings would have been an important tool for militants,” the police official says.
He was accompanied by the local militants who were aware of the north-Kashmir landscape.
“This was being done at this time because winter is approaching. It would have been more difficult for him to cross-over in later months because of the snow and harsh weather,” the police finds.
“We had inputs that Mannan is putting up in a Baramulla village. He came to Shatgund village on Thursday. We were following his movement,” the officer said.
Besides the police has said that it had ordered to all it men on ground who were involved in the operation that killed Mannan that no picture of the slain should come out.
“We ensured that not a single picture of Mannan’s corpse comes out till we manage other affairs,” a top police official, wishing not to be named, told News18. “We did not want to repeat the mistakes done in the past.”
“Before breaking the news of Mannan’s death, restrictions were put in place,” the top police official said. “We didn’t want the situation to look extraordinary. The internet was not shut in the entire valley, which is usually done after such encounters.”
Even the journalists were not allowed to witness the funeral. The reporters were told by the police that there were strict orders that the press should not be allowed. It was only after Mannan’s burial, scribes were allowed to visit his home.
“The images from the funerals keep the militants alive,” a police official said.
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