Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that scholar turned militant Mannan Bashir Wani was a victim of relentless violence in Kashmir.

Wani was killed in a gunfight along with accomplice in northern Kashmir’s Handwara on Thursday last.

Following his killing, Kashmiri AMU students had allegedly offered absentia funeral prayers to Mannan, a charge denied by the students. Mannan was a scholar in the geology department of the varsity.

The AMU authorities immediately rusticated the students and a sedition case was registered against them.

Taking to twitter, Mehbooba asked the union government to intervene and in withdrawing the cases against Kashmiri Aligarh University students.

The former CM said that pushing the youth to the wall is counter-productive and also appealed the respective state governments outside Jammu and Kashmir to be sensitive towards the situation and prevent further alienation of the people of Kashmir.

Mehbooba said that punishing the students for remembering their former colleague is travesty of justice.

“Pushing youth to the wall will be counter productive.Centre must intervene in withdrawing cases against   students &  AMU authorities must revoke their suspension .The respective State governments outside JK should be sensitive to the situation  & prevent further alienation. It will be a travesty to punish them for remembering their former colleague who was a victim of relentless violence in Kashmir,” Mehbooba tweeted.

Pertinently, under Mehbooba’s regime in an alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party, popular militant commander Burhan Wani was killed in 2016. Burhan’s killing followed a months long uprising in Kashmir.

During the ensuing clashes in the uprising over a 100 youths were killed and thousands injured. A few thousand others received pellets with almost 1000 in eyes. A leading UK based newspaper called it worlds first mass blinding.

Pushing youth to the wall will be counter productive.Centre must intervene in withdrawing cases against students & AMU authorities must revoke their suspension .The respective State governments outside JK should be sensitive to the situation & prevent further alienation . 1/2

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) October 15, 2018

Mehbooba was unapologetic during the time while people were getting killed and maimed during her rule. She had even told a reporter that the “kids were not getting to buy toffees and milk to army camps and other forces installations”.

“Was it to buy toffee that the child went to army camp? Was 15-year-old out to buy milk when he attacked the police station in Damhal Hanji Pora?” she had asked.