Was Burhan Wani really such a big deal?

New Delhi, July 12: Was Burhan Muzzaffar Wani really such a big deal as he has been made out to be. The commander of the terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen was killed in an encounter on Friday and this has led to wide spread protests in which nearly 29 have died in Jammu and Kashmir.

Wani has been made out to be a martyr and in death the entire state has come to a virtual standstill. The question is how big was Wani really? He was a propaganda artist who knew how to make his point on the social media. Several officials that OneIndia spoke with say that his battle was more on the social media and there were hardly any escapades on the ground.

There have been mixed reactions over the killing of Wani. For the armed forces he had become a nuisance. He was a social media terrorist who constantly gave calls to kill army personnel. While he never came out on to the battle field, he did manage to stir up a passion among the youth.

While issuing calls for attacks is something that needs to be dealt with an iron hand, there is another question that comes to mind.

All his propaganda material was available on his Facebook account. Why was not attempt made to take down the material?

He continued to upload posts and became extremely popular. Some even say that it was due to these posts that several youth in Kashmir took up arms. This once again makes want to raise the same question and that is why were the posts not taken down.

For months together the media reported each and every post that he had put out. In the bargain he became larger than life. Many in the security establishment say that he was overrated and his only skill was he knew how exactly to use the social media. What benefited him more was the media reporting his posts which only ensured that his posts got more reach.

Today in his death, he is threatening to become an icon for the new generation in Kashmir. It is a very delicate period in Kashmir now. In this context one must recollect the tweet put out by the former Chief Minister of J&K.

He had said, "Burhan's ability to recruit in to militancy from the grave will far outstrip anything he could have done on social media."

OneIndia News