Hundreds of locals gathered in Afzal's ancestral Doabgah village near Sopore town Saturday to offer 'Gaibana Nimaz-e-Jinaza' (Funeral prayers in absentia).
Separatist Hurriyat groups headed by moderate leader, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and hardliner Syed Ali Geelani have called for four days' mourning and shutdown in the Valley.
According to sources close to them, both Geelani and Mirwaiz have been placed under house arrest at their lodgings in New Delhi.
State chief minister, Omar Abdullah has asked people to control their sentiments and not play into the hands of those who want to exploit the situation for political ends.
