Budgam youth dies at SKIMS, raising death toll to 79

Cop’s bike torched in Srinagar, school in Budgam, truckers thrashed on highway; forces ransack houses, 120 injured, 17 arrested in Pulwama; scores of clashes on 65^th day of shutdown in Kashmir

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

________

SRINAGAR, Sep 11: While as the separatists’ rallies and clashes with Police and security forces continued across Kashmir valley on Sunday, death toll on the 65^th consecutive day of shutdown has reached 79 as an injured youth from Budgam has died at SKIMS.

Informed sources told STATE TIMES that 22-year-old school-dropout Javed Ahmad Dar of Wadwan Budgam, who had sustained gunshot wounds in his leg during a clash between the protesters and Police and CRPF at Narbal on August 5, died due to resultant renal failure at SKIMS. Doctors had earlier amputated his leg. With this, death toll of the last 65 days of turmoil in the valley has reached 79. Reports said that a large number of people from Soibugh, Wadwan and adjoining villages attended the youth’s funeral prayers peacefully but amid pro-Pakistan, pro-Azadi and anti-India slogans at Wadwan.

Sources said that earlier in the day, forces swooped on a separatists’ rally at Rathsun in the same Soibugh-Beerwah belt of Budgam district. During the ding-dong clashes, a Government Middle School building gutted. While as the residents alleged that it caught fire by a tearsmoke shell, officials insisted that the building was set on fire by “miscreants”. Half-a-dozen civilians were reportedly injured as Police and security forces foiled their attempts to proceed with the rally.

Reports said that, both at the funeral at Wadwan and during the clashes in Rathsun, people shouted pro-Pakistan slogans and waved Pakistani flags.

Sources said that the unruly youths checking vehicles and frisking drivers, captured a Police official driving his motorcycle on Sunday evening at ‘90-Foot Road’ in Soura area on Srinagar outskirts. Upon being exposed as a Policeman, he ran away and escaped into a locality. The shutdown vigilantes torched his motorcycle.

Reports from South Kashmir said that enjoying a field day groups of unruly youths subjected traffic on Srinagar-Jammu highway to heavy stone pelting at Bijbehara. Eyewitnesses said that dozens of vehicles were damaged and a number of the truckers were dragged out and beaten up mercilessly for violating the separatists’ shutdown call.

An official spokesman said that on Friday evening, some miscreants pelted stones on the moving vehicles at Batengo, Sopore. Some vehicles were damaged. Driver of one of those vehicles, namely Parvaiz Ahmad Dar s/0 Abdul Kabir R/o Lalad, Sopore, suffered head injury and his vehicle was also damaged. Case FIR number 253/2016 under section 307, 147, 148, 149, 336, 427 RPC has been registered.

Reports said that a massive motorcycle-and-car rally, carrying Pakistan and ‘Azad Kashmir’ flags, initiated from Qaimoh in Kulgam district. The angry and enthusiastic participants shouted pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans. Reports said that Police and CRPF intercepted the rally and forced the participants to disperse.

High level meeting

Chief Secretary B.R. Sharma, DGP K. Rajendra Kumar, Special DG Law and Order Dr Shesh Pal Vaid and other senior officers landed in Kulgam by a helicopter and took a high level meeting with the South Kashmir DIG and SPs on the current security situation and breakdown of law and order machinery. Sources said that the field officers were directed to observe utmost restraint during a rally or clash but be “tough on the stone pelters and their instigators”. They were directed to arrest and book key mobilisers and instigators of turbulence under PSA and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act so as to ensure that they do not create a major disturbance around Eid-ul-Azha and thereafter.

Reports said that scores of rallies and clashes of protesters with Police and security forces took place across the Valley. Over 150 persons reportedly sustained injuries during the clashes. Officials maintained that nobody was critical.

Pulwama residents thrashed

Sources said that multiple forces, including J&K Police, CRPF and Army early on Sunday swooped down on Kreemabad (Pulwama). They allegedly thrashed hundreds of the residents, ransacked houses and damaged motorcycles and other parked vehicles. Sources said that 17 youths, including the brother of constable-turned-militant Naseer Pandit who died in an encounter with forces earlier this year, were picked up from their residences and hideouts and their antecedents were being verified.

Officials said that the residents disrupted the operation launched in search of some militants. However, a number of the youths wanted for providing support to the militants were arrested. Residents claimed that 120 people were injured in the Police and security forces’ action. Of them, 20 were referred to Srinagar hospitals. Officials maintained that most of them had only “superficial injuries” and all had been discharged from hospitals by the evening. They said that the residents subjected Police and security forces to intense stone pelting.

After the operation, Army was spotted in movement like a flag march at the district headquarters of Pulwama.

END

[Published in today’s STATE TIMES]