peace
Leading Member
Posts : 132
Join date : 2008-08-17
 |  Subject: HE WAS FIRED FROM POINT-BLANK RANGE:EYEWITNESS  Sun Sep 07, 2008 7:50 pm | |
| - Quote :
- Srinagar, Sept 6: A youth was killed and several others were injured when police opened fire to quell a pro-freedom demonstration in the city’s Nowhatta area on Saturday. The incident triggered violent clashes across the city as protesters fought pitched battles with police and paramilitary troopers and also attacked Nowhatta police station with stones.
The trouble started when a group of youth, shouting pro-freedom slogans, staged demonstrations at Nowhatta Chowk. A large contingent of police reached the spot and fired dozens of tear smoke shells to disperse them.
Eyewitnesses told Greater Kashmir that a police official fired upon Javaid Ahmad Bhat, 23, son of Abdul Majid Bhat from point blank range outside his house. “Javaid was coming out of his house when the official directly fired upon him. He received a bullet on his chest, which left him injured severely,” they said. Hoping against hope that Javaid might survive, some youth rushed him to SMHS hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
When the news of the killing spread in the area, hundreds of angry youth assembled at Nowhatta and fought pitched battles with cops and troopers of paramilitary CRPF.
A pall of gloom descended upon the area when Javaid’s body was bought from the hospital. People in large numbers swarmed his residence at Nowhatta Chowk and tried to console his family. Wailing and beating their chest, women showered flower petals and candies on Javaid’s body while it was being taken for funeral prayers.
Shouting pro-freedom and anti-India slogans, thousands of people carried Javaid’s body in a procession to the Martyr’s Graveyard at Eidgah. “Asalam Ae Shaheed Asalam (praise on you Oh! Martyr).
“Javaid’s killing is a cold blooded murder. He was innocent and never took part in protests,” the protesters said.
“We will continue to protest till action against the accused official is taken,” they said as Javaid’s body was being buried. After the burial, the procession marched towards Nowhatta. However, police intercepted the procession at Safa Kadal and cane-charged the protesters. The killing also fuelled massive protests in other parts of the city, including Karan Nagar, Maisuma, Sonwar, Rambagh. Youth took to streets and fought pitched battles with the police and CRPF troopers. Police had to resort to repeated baton charge and fired teargas shells to disperse them.
However, the senior superintendent of police, Syed Ahfadul Mujtaba, said police was compelled by the protesters to fire. “The protesters fired petrol bombs on the cops forcing them to fire rubber pellets which unfortunately hit vital organ of a youth and caused his death,” he said. However the SSP’s statement was contradicted by protesters and eyewitnesses who said youth were protesting peacefully and it were the police who provoked them by using force. They denied throwing of petrol bombs. “Petrol bombs are used in Jammu, not here. But the partisan cops won’t admit that,” said a youth.
“Cops fire teargas shells on peaceful protesters and provoke them to stone-pelting. Then the police has only one answer- bullets. This is the limit of oppression and the partisan officers are always ready to defend their trigger-happy cops,” the youth said.
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