London:The Kashmir Centre London in its special report has paid tribute to Jammu and Kashmir's prominent young scholar, geologist and Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Shaheed Mannan Wani on his 8th martyrdom day.

According to the Kashmir Centre report, 11th October marks eight years since the martyrdom of Dr. Manan Bashir Wani. He was 27 years old. He was an award-winning PhD scholar at Aligarh Muslim University, a geologist from Kupwara on an academic trajectory that could have taken him anywhere. In January 2018, he announced he had joined Hizbul Mujahideen. He left without telling anyone. His phone went dark for a day before anyone understood. His funeral drew over 10 thousand mourners.

According to the report, those who knew him describe a man who could not insulate himself from what was happening in the land that produced him. He spoke of Kashmir constantly. His principles were non-negotiable. At secret meetings during his nine months in the resistance, he never spoke of regret. Only of the path ahead.

On 11 October 2018, after a gunfight lasting more than ten hours in Shatgund, Handwara, he was martyred. Ten thousand came to bury him. Kashmir observed a valley-wide strike. His memory is a compass. His sacrifice is a responsibility.

Wani was born in Takipora village, Lolab, Kupwara. He completed his M. Phil at the University of Kashmir and was pursuing a PhD in Allied Geology at Aligarh Muslim University. He won the Best Paper Presentation award at AMU. His academic trajectory was exceptional. He was not a young man without options. He was a young man who understood exactly what he was giving up and chose to give it up anyway.

At AMU, those who knew Wani saw a man who could not insulate himself from what was happening in the land that produced him. He spoke about Kashmir constantly: its struggles, its people, the ways resistance could grow stronger. His principles were non-negotiable. His friend Mujtaba writes that no one who knew him was ultimately surprised by what he chose, only by the moment it happened. The choice was not impulsive. It had been building for years. "He knew that the real test of knowledge is in confronting oppression. He refused to be a mere spectator while the land that birthed him groaned under the chains of slavery." - Jaffer Teli

His close friend Mujtaba describes their last meeting before Wani left AMU: a cup of tea at a dhaba, Wani alone, no phone, speaking about Islamic heroes from history, their struggles and their sacrifices. It felt like any other conversation. In hindsight, Mujtaba writes, there was a quiet finality in his tone he had failed to notice. The next morning, Wani was gone. He left without telling anyone. His phone stayed switched off for more than a day before understood. anyone

Mujtaba reconnected with Wani during his time with the resistance, meeting him at a secret location Wani called simply "the point." At those meetings, he saw his intellect operating with a sharper edge. He never spoke of regret or hesitation. Only of the path ahead. He spoke of the struggle as a fight not just for land but for dignity, faith and existence. He pushed everyone around him to understand their own responsibility. Every meeting ended with a renewed sense of duty.

A joint operation of JandK Police, Army's 30 Rashtriya Rifles and the 92nd CRPF Battalion launched a cordon-and-search operation in Shatgund village, Handwara, in the early hours of 11 October 2018 following intelligence about Wani's presence. Gunfire was exchanged from around 3am. The cordon held. The gunfight lasted more than ten hours. Wani and his associate Ashiq Hussain were both martyred.

Internet services were immediately snapped. Schools were shut. The occupation had killed him and then moved to suppress the grief.

Wani's body was returned to his family at Tekipora, Lolab. His funeral drew over ten thousand mourners. A valley-wide strike was observed the following day. The occupation imposed restrictions across Kupwara to prevent public grief from assembling. At AMU, students who offered funeral prayers for him were threatened with suspension.

Even in death, the Indian state could not leave him alone. It feared what his memory would produce in those who had loved him.

Dr. Manan Bashir Wani was 27 years old. He was an award-winning scholar. He was a son of Kupwara. He was a commander. He was a friend who kept his last conversation ordinary so that those he loved would not try to stop him. He chose the harder road so that one day, others might walk free. "His name, his words, and his sacrifice are the living compasses for our future. We are indebted to you, Commander." - Jaffer Teli.