Jammu: The local Muslims in Kakriyal have denied space to the slain militants killed in a gunfight with government forces last week, in their graveyards.

The slain have been buried in an “undisclosed location” by the authorities to avoid confrontation, Tribune India reported.

“The administrators of all cemeteries (in Kakryal area) refused to give space to the slain militants. Due to the opposition of people, we buried all of them in an undisclosed location,” said Superintendent of Police, Katra, Naresh Singh.

Three militants of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit were killed during a daylong gun battle on September 13 at Dirthi village in the Kakryal area of Reasi district.

“For the last five days, the bodies of the militants were laying in the mortuary of a hospital. The civil and police administration earlier tried to bury these militants in the nearby graveyards but this move was strongly opposed by the local Muslims,” the report quoting sources said. “The local Muslims declared that they would not allow their burial in the surrounding areas as well.”

Fearing a backlash, the authorities on September 17 night buried the militants in an undisclosed location.

“Muslims of Reasi district had declared that their graveyards had no space for militants, who have no religion,” Tariq Bhat, ex-administrator of Auqaf, Reasi, told The Tribune. “The ideology of militants is against the tenets of Islam. They are not only enemies of Islam but of the whole humanity,” added Bhat.

He recalled that former Imam of Reasi had refused to perform “Namaz-e-Janaza” of two Pakistan militants killed six years ago.

It is not the first time that local Muslims have not allowed burial of militants in their graveyards. Earlier bodies of militants involved in the Nagrota (November 2016) and Sunjwan (February 2018) militant attacks were also buried at undisclosed locations.