4 killed as protestors attack IGP’s cavalcade in Pattan

Lull breaks into storm ahead of Eid in Kashmir

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 6: Four civilians got killed and twenty others wounded when Police opened fire on demonstrators after they subjected the cavalcade of senior Police officials, including IGP Kashmir and SSP Baramulla, to intense stone pelting at Palhalan, near Pattan, on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Highway in the afternoon today. In yet another attack, protestors pelted stones on the passengers of a private airlines flight at the highway township of Pampore in South Kashmir and left two persons injured.

Three days ahead of the festival of Eid, that marks the end of the holy month of Ramazan, at least four demonstrators got killed when a group of over 200 people attacked the cavalcade of senior Police officials at Palhalan. Informed sources in North Kashmir told Early Times that the newly appointed IGP of Kashmir, S M Sahai, and SSP Baramulla, Mansoor Untoo, were returning to Srinagar from Baramulla when a group of people shouted pro-Azadi and anti-India slogans and subjected their cavalcade to intense stone pelting. Even as PSOs and escort personnel of the Police officials opened fire in the air to disperse the violent group, the stone pelters came closer to their target and intensified the offensive.

Thereupon, armed men in two bulletproof Rakhshak vehicles chased away the demonstrators into the village interior while firing indiscriminately in the air. Suddenly, hundreds of peoples from different directions gheraoed the two vehicles and intensified the attack. Men in the vehicles opened fire. One civilian got killed and six others others injured. The crowds dispersed. While both the escort vehicles were returning to the highway, another group of pelted launched a fierce attack. Yet again, the armed guards opened fire. One person got killed and about a dozen others injured. Later, two more of the injured died at hospital.

The Police officials drove straight to Srinagar. Sources said that the cavalcade was also attacked by another group of demonstrators at Singhpura village. Police opened fire in the air. Nobody was reported dead or injured.

IGP Kashmir, S M Sahai, told Early Times that both the incidents of shootout took place over a hundreds yards from the highway when Police and CRPF escorts, chasing away the violent protestors, came under fierce attack and they opened fire.

Zonal Police headquarters later issued two statements to media. In the first press release, a Police spokesman said that IGP Kashmir had ordered an inquiry. He said that the persons responsible for opening fire and causing the bloodshed would be identified and proceeded against.

In just two hours, another press release from Zonal Police Headquarters said: “At 1430 hours this afternoon large groups of stone pelting mobs attacked the traffic , security force and police vehicles at Palhalan, Pattan, and Singhpora in Baramulla district. On return from the spot IGP Kashmir and his entourage, accompanied by senior police officers came under heavy stone pelting at Palhalan. To prevent mobs from merging into the police party the accompanied force chased the mobs so as to disperse them off. In dispersal some persons were injured, three of them later on passed away. This spot has been witnessing frequent stone pelting by frenzy mobs. Police, security force and civilian vehicles are being targeted at this place. Many civilians including the passengers of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus were injured in a number of stone pelting incidents”.

Those killed in the twin shootout at Palhalan were identified in the preliminary reports as Feroz Ahmed malik S/o Abdul Aziz Malik, Noor-ud-din Tantray S/o Ghulam Nabi Tantray, Shaukat Ahmed Bhat and Mohammad Ramzan. Officials, however, said that more than 7,000 residents of Palhalan and five other adjoining villages gathered on the highway and nobody from Police or civil administration was in a position to collect details and authentic identification of the people killed and injured. While independent reports said that four civilians got killed and 20 others sustained injuries, officials maintained that the number of the injured was 12.

Sources said that the 7,000-strong gathering occupied the highway. Completely blocking traffic movement, particularly that of government vehicles and convoys of security forces. According to reports available from Pattan and Baramulla, people performed the funeral of the dead amid strong anti-India and pro-Azadi slogans. Situation was reported as extremely tense.

Fearing resultant trouble at several traditional flashpoints, authorities tonight decided to regulate movement of traffic with imposition of severe restrictions, locally known as ‘undeclared curfew’ in Srinagar, Pattan, Baramulla, Sopore and several other urban localities in the Valley tomorrow.

Today’s attack on the Police cavalcade, followed by shootout, has broken 17-day-long lull into a potential storm ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, just three days away. Reports said that in the evening today, small groups of people gathered and took out processions to protest the four fresh casualties at Palhalan. Even as an injured, resident of Singhpura village, had succumbed at a hospital on August 23 and two more civilians were later critically injured in an incident of Police firing at Maisuma, nobody had died in the Valley in any incident of firing since August 20. On Aug 20, two residents of Sopore and Bijbehara, had died in separate incidents of firing by Police and CRPF.

With today’s addition, as many as 70 civilians demonstrators--- including those killed in arson and violent attacks---have died in different incidents of attacks on Police, CRPF and public properties, followed by firing, in Kashmir valley since June 11th. These include around a dozen incidents in which, according to residents, there was no provocation and compelling reasons to open fire.

Meanwhile, two Spicejet passengers sustained injuries when a group of people resorted to heavy stone pelting on the vehicles carrying passengers from Srinagar Airport to the makeshift air base at Awantipore. Sources said that inspite of ROP, over 50 people gathered and began pelting stones on the buses at Pampore. In the same area, another group of people had resorted to heavy stone pelting at Khrew on the vehicles of the people returning from an Iftar party organized by armed forces last evening. Reports said that several vehicles were damaged in the attack.

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