Before leaving his home to join militancy, the slain militant commander Mehraj-ud-Din Bangroo had categorically told his family not to wail over his death, his uncle told on Wednesday, hours after the rebel was killed in a gunfight in Fateh Kadal area of Downtown.

Shell-shocked by the death of his nephew, Bangroo’s uncle—popularly known as ‘chacha’ in Fateh Kadal—said: “When Mehraj-ud-Din left to join militants in April 2016, he categorically told us rather explained his last wish and will that when he dies, no family member should wail or scream or stop eating food.”

“I remember these words vividly. I have appealed to all our family members to fulfill my nephew’s wish,” he said.

He said that before joining Lashkar, Mehraj-ud-Din was released after three years of imprisonment.

“He was aged around 35 and had spent almost 10 years in jail. Most of the time he was lodged in central jail Srinagar,” his uncle said.

Mehraj-ud-Din, according to his family, completed his graduation in jail.