Militant Wani’s hero-worship on social media a challenge for security agencies

It’s not just the violence that erupted after the execution of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani that has posed a problem for security agencies, but also the deluge of social media posts terming him a “martyr” that has emerged as a new challenge.

Wani’s popularity on social media, officials say, is facilitating terrorist elements in Pakistan to flood the Internet with solidarity messages for the slain Hizbul commander. Among them is Jamaat-Ud-Dawa chief Hafeez Saeed, accused of masterminding the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, who has been posting messages from his Twitter handle hailing Wani as a “martyr.” Saeed has also put messages in support of Kashmiri separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who was taken into preventive custody.

Several Twitter handles operated from Pakistan read “This isn’t 1 less Burhan, its 100 more Burhans,” with Wani’s photo as their profile picture. “It is a clear attempt by terrorist elements to project Wani as a hero and the next revolutionary leader like Guevara. Like Guevara, Wani is also wearing a headgear in the images being circulated online,” said a senior government official.

Although internet services in the Valley have been suspended, there was active online chatter about Wani’s killing. “It is difficult for us to block each and every Twitter account or report to Facebook about such mischievous messages doing the rounds. It is just not possible. The next big headache for us is containing these social media posts that are highly mischievous in nature,” said the official. Security agencies have been scanning several video clips also, that claim to pay tribute to Wani.

“There are multiple such platforms where the only job for Pakistan-based terrorist elements is to post messages in solidarity with Wani. They want to convince the virtual world that Wani was indeed a hero. They want to change the narrative,” the official said.