news details |
|
|
| Murder case registered, SHO attached, 2 cops arrested, DM orders probe | | Student killed in Police firing amid shutdown in Kashmir | |  Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, April 18: With the Kashmir valley boiling after four years of calm over an alleged custodial killing in Tral, coupled by the separatist hardliner Masarat Alam's arrest, a teenage student was killed in Police firing over a group of protesters at Narbal, on Srinagar-Gulmarg Road, on Saturday.
Informed sources told Early Times that a small group of teenagers was burning rubber-tyres and enforcing shutdown on the Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani's call when a Police party got entangled with it at Narbal, the entry point of the former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's Beerwah constituency, 15 Kms from the capital. The Police party opened fire. A 16-year-old class 9th student Suhail Ahmad Sofi was hit. With critical injuries in his vital organs, he was rushed to SKIMS Medical College, Bemina, where he breathed his last.
The first civilian killing in Police firing during Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's PDP-BJP government sent shockwaves throughout the valley which was already reeling under shutdown. Demonstrators converged on streets at some places and engaged Police and CRPF in ding dong clashes. Authorities curbed the civilian movement in certain areas to ensure that a major procession was not formed and there was no further trouble.
Geelani and other separatist leaders had been already placed under house arrest and virtual curfew was enforced in Tral and on the main roads leading to the South Kashmir township. Geelani had called for a mass march to Tral where two persons had died in controversial Army shootout last week. He had also asked the Kashmiris to register their protest to Masarat Alam's arrest.
An official spokesman claimed that the situation remained under control. He said in a handout in the evening: "Today morning an unruly crowd resorted to stone pelting on a joint police and security force party deployed on Narbal-Magam road. The forces resorted to firing to control the crowd of stone pelters resulting in injuries to one Suhail Ahmad Sofi S/O Abdul Ahad Sofi R/O Narbal who later succumbed to his injuries.
The handout added: "In this regard Case FIR No 34/2015 under sections 302,147,149,341,427 RPC was registered in Police Station Magam,Budgam. Preliminary investigation reveals that Ct. Javaid Ahmad had fired with his service rifle on the directions of Incharge police party ASI Manzoor Ahmad, in violation of laid down SOP. Both the ASI and Constable have been arrested in the instant case and further investigation is underway. SHO P/S Magam Inspector Khursheed ur Rehman has been attached for lack of supervision".
Official sources said that Budgam District Magistrate separately ordered a magisterial enquiry. Additional DC would investigate the circumstances leading to the teenager's death in the Police firing and submit his report "at an earliest".
With tension building up across the Valley, Geelani called for another shutdown over the student's "cold blooded murder" in Budgam district on Sunday. He, however, clarified that there would be no shutdown in rest of the Valley. In a press release, Geelani alleged that the human rights abuse was going on with impunity inspite of change of regime in Kashmir.
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, former Chief Minister and National Conference President Omar Abdullah, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee President Ghulam Ahmad Mir as also almost all other mainstream leaders of the opposition and separatist groups condemned the student's "killing" in the Police firing. They invariably demanded punishment to the guilty and justice to the bereaved family.
At Maisuma in Srinagar situation turned tense when JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik made an unsuccessful attempt to lead a protest march to Narbal. His supporters shouted pro-Azadi slogans and some of them clashed with Police. Earlier, prominent Hindu spiritual leader Swami Agnivesh and Malik staged a dharna and started a 30-hour hunger strike at the JKLF headquarters against the PDP-BJP government's plan of rehabilitating the displaced Kashmiri Pandits in protected enclaves in the Valley. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
