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| Day 41: Lecturer dies, toll 67; Mob attacks MLA’s house in Shopian | | Kashmir Unrest | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Aug 18: The death toll in the continuing Kashmir violence reached 67 today after a college lecturer died in retaliatory action by the forces in a village in Khrew area. Meanwhile, continuous imposition of curfew, enforcement of restrictions and strike crippled the life across Kashmir on 41st consecutive day.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of passing out parade of new recruits of J&K Light Infantry (JAKLI) at Rangreth, Chinar Corps GOC, Lt Gen S K Dua, while expressing regret over the death, said it was regrettable. Actually the incident took place after our men were lynched by stone pelting mob in Churut area last night. "We have a due process of investigation and I assure you that we will look into the incident," he added.
Pertinently, a 30-year-old contractual lecturer died in security forces action in Khrew late Wednesday night. The deceased was identified as Shabir Ahmad Mongu, son of Wali Mohammad Mongu of Sharshali Khrew.
The army commander said that army was left with no other option after its joint patrol came under the attack of stone pelting mob in the area.
He said that army 'does not carry non-lethal weapons, including tear smoke shells and pellet guns like police and paramilitary forces'. "We always exercise restraint till the last but please do remember that army does not have any teargas or pellet guns so if we can only open fire in legs as last resort. I must tell you that instructions to army soldiers are very clear. We do not get involved in law and order situations at all. Wherever we go for patrolling, we take a law and order component along with us, be it police or CRPF or both," he said.
Dua said instructions to army were very clear and they would not retaliate until the life of its personnel was at risk. He said that many army personnel had been admitted in the hospitals with severe injuries and fracture in their arms and hands. "We are here to control terrorism and militancy and for law and order there are police, CRPF and the additional forces. Army at no stage is going with them or assist them, but we when we go for patrolling, we need component of law and order because sometimes we face the stone pelting situation we need them to extricate us because we don't have non lethal weapons," he said.
Regarding meeting of army chief with Chief Minister, Dua said that the meeting was natural to review the situation and one has to meet CM or the Governor or both.
"To deescalate the situation we need to control the cycle of violence first. We appeal to help security forces in restoring normalcy," he said.
He said the present situation had also hit the education of children who were unable to go to schools. The fruit industry had also suffered huge losses, he added, while appealing the youth to help army to restore peace to the valley. On cross border terrorism and infiltration, he said, "Pakistan has been attempting to infiltrate terrorists as our attention is focussed on valley unrest," he asserted.
Reports said that a youth sustained bullet injuries in his leg after he was fired upon by the security forces in north Kashmir's Kupwara district. The youth got injured when the security forces fired upon a group of youth who resorted to stone pelting on them in the Batargam area of Kupwara. Scores of people had organized a march from Batergam to main Chowk Kupwara.
Reports said that security forces resorted to tear smoke shelling in Papchan area of Bandipora district when some of the youth clashed with them. Police fired dozens of tear smoke canisters in order to disperse the protesters. Some of the youth sustained minor injuries in the incident. Protest demonstrations were also reported from Naidkhai and Nowgam areas of Sumbal in the district.
A police spokesman said that restrictions under section 144/CrPC remained in force in Kashmir today. However, curfew was imposed in Srinagar, Anantnag town and Pampore, said the police spokesman. He said that stone pelting incidents were reported from Papchan area of Bandipora, Batergam of Kupwara and Ilyaspora of Shopian where the youth assembled on roads and pelted stones on the deployments.
The spokesman said that a violent mob assembled and attacked the house of MLA Shopian last night. The mob set ablaze the belongings including a motorcycle of the guard personnel posted for protection of the house. The guard personnel exercised maximum restraint. Kashmir valley has been on edge since the evening of July 8 when Hizbul Commander, Burhan Muzaffar Wani was killed along with his two associates in a brief encounter with police and security forces at Bemdoora-Kokernag in Anantnag district. So far 67 persons including three policemen have been killed in clashes at different places as people protested against the killing of Burhan. |
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