17th casualty is a bridegroom in Baramulla
Guards near DC’s office open fire on mob; SSP, Dy SP removed

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jul 19: Raising death toll of the youngsters, killed since June 11th in Police and CRPF firing, to 17, Police guards near Deputy Commissioner’s office in Baramulla today opened fire on a violent mob which was protesting death of a 13-year-old boy in the township on Saturday last. One person has died and several others sustained injuries in the shootout resultant stampede. With the garrison town turning tense afresh and the district headquarters reverberating with anti-India and pro-Azadi slogans, Government has immediately removed Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Dy SP (Headquarters) as part of its damage control exercise alongwith yet another reshuffle in J&K Police.

Jinxed Baramulla town rose to a new boiling point when dead body of 13-year-old students, Faizan Rafeeq Buhroo S/o Mohammad Rafeeq Buhroo R/o Mohalla Jalal Sahab was spotted and recovered from river Jhulem near Gurudwara Chhati Padshahi at Kakkar Hamam this evening. As already reported, class 7th student, Faizan, had drowned during the course of a clash between an unruly mob and Police at Azad Bridge in Baramulla on July 17th evening. With the residents protesting his death and alleging that the boy had been pushed into the river by a Police party headed by a Dy SP and the Police claiming that he had drowned over 200 yards away from their position, Faizan’s dead body was recovered after 48 hours of his drowning this evening. Army boats and Navy divers conducted extensive search in the river and finally fished out the body this evening.

Informed sources told Early Times that a procession of nearly 2,000 people carried the dead body all the way to DC’s office while shouting anti-India, pro-Azadi and pro-Islam slogans. As the procession halted at R&B Divisional office and restricted its expression to the demand of removing some Police officials, besides, registration of a murder case against them, DC Baramulla, Bashir Ahmed Bhat, and Special Commissioner North Kashmir, Mohammad Sayeed Khan, assured a representative delegation “urgent action” and motivated the angry demonstrators to conduct the boy’s funeral.

When part of the procession was returning to old town and it was negotiating a bridge, another mob of over 3,000 men and women was spotted heading towards DC’s office. Within minutes, over 5,000-strong crowd converged on the premises of DC’s office-cum-residence. On this point of time, one of the Police guards reportedly opened fire when angry youngsters began attacking structures. Another mob began rushing towards Minister of State for R&B Javed Ahmed Dar’s official house, apparently to set on fire SPO Kaka Mir’s quarters.

One youth, who was later identified as 25-0year-old Fayaz Ahmed Khanday S/o Ghulam Mohammad Khanday R/o Dandmoh, Kreeri, got killed and few others sustained injuries. Authoritative sources insisted that the guard opened fire when men in the crowd began attacking structures and attempted to set these on fire. Residents, however, maintained that they were simply shouting slogans to press their demand of removal of Dy SP, disengagement and arrest of SPO Kaka Mir and registration of a murder case against them.

SSP at Police Control Room Srinagar, Javed Farooqui, said that one person, namely Fayaz Ahmed Khanday, was declared as dead at District Hospital of Baramulla and another civilian, namely Ghulam Mohammad Gujri of Mohalla Jalal Sahab, was admitted to SMHS Hospital with a gunshot wound in his hip. He said that immediately there was no information of any one else having sustained gunshot wounds, even as some people had reportedly sustained injuries in the resultant stampede. Local news agency KNS reported that one civilian got killed and 25 others sustained injuries in the shootout and the stampede.

Residents said that 25-year-old Fayaz Ahmed Khanday was a resident of Dandmoh village in Kreeri belt of Baramulla district. He was working as a cook at a hotel in the town. They said that his wedding had taken place three weeks ago at his in-laws’ house in Binner village of Rafiabad where he had decided to live for life. They said that Faizan Rafeeq Buhroo’s burial took place late tonight in his locality but Khanday’ funeral was likely to be conducted tomorrow as none of his relatives from Kreeri and Rafiabad had reached Baramulla till late tonight.

With today’s death in the Police shootout, as many as 17 youth have died in different incidents of firing and teargas shelling by Police and CRPF in Kashmir valley during the current spell of turmoil since June 11th.

Late night reports said that people were shouting pro-Azadi and anti-India slogans and asking residents of Baramulla to gather on the streets to register their strong protest against the two killings in the last three days. Groups of youngsters were seen burning rubber tryres on the streets at different places. Authorities were reportedly in control of the situation in Civil Lines and other peaceful neighbourhoods in the garrison town while as thick crowds of angry people had completely captured old town localities across river Jhelum.

In hectic developments, Government disengaged and arrested the main accused SPO Kaka Mir and also removed Dy SP Headquarters Sheikh Faisal from Baramulla tonight. Government also ordered transfer of newly appointed SSP Sheikh Mehmood who had been earlier hospitalized after suffering a cardiac problem. He has been appointed as SSP Traffic (Srinagar City) in place of lately appointed Javed Riyaz Bedar.

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