Muzaffarabad Challo

Srinagar, Aug 31: The economic blockade enforced by extremist groups in Jammu has caused a loss of whopping Rs 600 crores to fruit growers in the Valley, a leader of fruit growers committee said.
Bashir Ahmad Bhat, chairman of the Kashmir Coordination Committee, an apex body of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers and Dealers, said till August 30 the fruit growers have lost over Rs 600 crore due to economic blockade and stringent curfew imposed by the government.
“Due to the blockade about 65 to 70 percent of the sent outside the state to markets perished in trucks on the highway,” Bhat told Greater Kashmir, adding, “The fruit laden trucks were stranded on the highway for days together.”
Bhat said the rest of the fruit was destroyed because they couldn’t take care of the orchards due to curfew.
Rise in transportation costs due to blockade, as drivers apprehended damages to their vehicles, also added to the losses.
“Last year we would pay Rs 22 to 30 per box of fruit as transport charge from Valley to fruit Mandis, but this year we had to pay Rs 60 to 70,” he added.
Many fruit growers, who spoke to Greater Kashmir, said there was a sharp decrease in the number of trucks that carried fruit to Mandis.
“Had the government controlled the blockade in time, it could have saved us millions of rupees,” said Muhammad Abdullah Magray of Palhalan. He said government is yet to ensure smooth flow of traffic on the highway.

Srinagar, Sep 3: Police, CRPF, and army are hounding, arresting, and beating people who participated in the mass pro-independence rallies in the past one month, people of different parts of the Valley told Greater Kashmir on Wednesday.
In scores of villages in South Kashmir’s Islamabad district lifting of curfew is proving to be a nightmare for people, as Army and police have launched a massive crackdown to punish pro-freedom marchers, the villagers said on Wednesday.
People of Chinnigund, Kanilwan, Chandpora, Teilbal, Gutchpora, Sadkipora and Bandipora villages said the soldiers of local army camps take the village heads as hostage, and ask them to reveal the names of protesters.
“After the curfew was lifted on Tuesday morning, Army is making rounds of the villages twice a day, asking the village heads to name the protesters or else face the consequences,” the villagers of Kanilwan in Bijbehara said. Fearing reprisals the villagers requested their individual names should not be mentioned.
On Wednesday afternoon, a youth from the Kanilwan told Greater Kashmir, “Every morning and evening, the soldiers pick up 10 youths and beat them up ruthlessly in their camps,” he said. “I too was taken to the camp and slapped more than 100 times.”
The beating, he added, is unique that not a single youth receives any wound. “They just slap and kick,” the youth said.
He said the Army soldiers picked up a lecturer of Kashmir University and teachers of the Degree College, residents of Kanilwan, and demanded same information from them.
“The soldiers throw stones at women folk. In Frisal village a woman received three stitches in the head after a soldier threw a stone at her,” the youth said. “We request the media to come to our rescue. There is nobody to listen to us. Our life has become miserable,” he said.
The Army soldiers, according to residents of Frisal, would barge into houses, beat up inmates and detain anyone they wish to. “Army has made our life miserable after the curfew,” the residents told Greater Kashmir by phone.
Army however denies the allegations. “I checked up with the Army officials in these areas. There is nothing like army is picking up people and beating them in the camps,” said the Army’s Srinagar-based spokesman, Col Lt AK Mathur.
He said the Army was not involved in handling the law and order problem. “If any villager is being harassed, he or she must approach the concerned police station and lodge a complaint,” Mathur said.
The Inspector General of Police SM Sahai said the police have not issued any formal orders to arrest the protesters. “We haven’t issued any formal orders in this regard. But wherever the violation of law has taken place, law will definitely take its own course,” he said.
Sopur
Police arrested at least two dozen youths from different villages of Sopur in the past three days on charges of participating in the pro-freedom rallies during last month. Ghulam Muhammad, the Greater Kashmir correspondent from Sopur, said that on September 1 police and CRPF troopers raided several houses in Batpora, Shahabad, and Chinkpora villages and arrested 16 youths.
On Tuesday police and CRPF raided four villages and arrested nine youth. They again raided the villages, this time Khushaalmattoo village too, after night prayers and tried to arrest more youth, but the women and children from scores of Mohallas demonstrated on roads and shouted slogans against police and CRPF troopers, forcing them to retreat.
“Police and CRPF troopers are harassing us for the past few days and asking to reveal names of people who participated in the pro-freedom rallies,” Ghulam Nabi of Shahabad said.
Srinagar
Fearing arrests and beatings in custody several youths have left their homes after police raided various localities in the downtown Srinagar.
The residents of various localities allege that they have been facing severe harassment at the hands of police and CRPF. “Since the day curfew was lifted police has been visiting rounds of our locality and seeking the whereabouts of the youth who took part in protests and processions. They have raided many houses and arrested several youth,” residents of Nowhatta said.
Nocturnal raids were conducted in Rajouri Kadal, Habba Kadal, Batamaloo, Fateh Kadal, Hawal, Lal Bazaar, and many other areas.
“Police arrests youth, tortures them and then asks them to identify the youth who took part in Hurriyat rallies,” said a group of people from Lal Bazaar.
“During curfew days, the troopers barged into our localities, broke window panes of houses and ransacked many residential houses. They also beat many inmates and manhandled elderly persons,” the residents of Batmaloo said.
A senior police official, wishing anonymity, told Greater Kashmir that police was arresting the youth to ensure law and order. “Those who have violated law will be arrested,” he said.
Varmul
Scores of people of Ladoora, among them the shopkeepers of Ladoora Market, Wednesday demonstrated against army, accusing the soldiers of 32 Rashtriya Rifles camp of beating and harassing the people of the area.
The protesters shouted pro-freedom slogans and observed a strike against the intimidation of people who participated in the peaceful pro-independence marches in the past one month.
The Greater Kashmir team yesterday stopped near Ladoora market when it saw an army officer speaking with a group of men squat on the roadside. There were several other soldiers watching over this group of men. The officer came toward the GK team and said, “We are just instructing them to be careful during nights, as Ramazan has started and people offer prayers during dawn and night.” But the detained men told a GK reporter that the officer was abusing them and threatening them of dire consequences if they didn’t identify people who actively participated in the marches.
“Every Kashmiri participated in these protests. How can we name anybody and hand him over to these people knowing fully well they would be tortured,” the detained man said. He gave the GK reporter his cell phone number, whispering it in Kashmiri so that the soldiers overlooking the detained group can’t get him later.
In the evening when GK team was returning from Rafiabad, the GK reporter received a call. The caller informed that after the GK team left the spot, the army officer snatched their I-cards and ordered them to report to the camp thrice a day.
The GK reporter on Wednesday morning received another call and the caller, who turned out to be one of the detained shopkeepers, said scores of people including women are demonstrating on the streets against the army.
“The soldiers called Ajaz Ahmad Dar, a shopkeeper in Ladoora Market, to the camp and beat him up savagely. He was tortured for one hour,” the caller said. Some days ago they beat up Abdul Qayoom Mir, the protesters told GK’s Varmul correspondent Altaf Baba.
The protesters stopped the car of Tehsildar Rohama and demanded the end to harassment and intimidation. The Tehsildar and the Station House Officer of Rohama police station assured the protesters that they would talk to the higher army officials about this issue.
From Abdul Jaleel, a reader from Pulwama, by e-mail (received on Tuesday)
“Sir, we want to bring to the notice of general public that CRPF, SOG, and Army have launched a campaign to arrest youths who were leading pro-freedom marches to Eidgah, TRC Ground, and Muzaffarabad.
If a few youths good at shouting slogans and have a good voice and are capable of leading peaceful marches why are troops arresting them. Lakhs of people participated in the protests but only a few are being booked. We request Imams of all the Masjids to ask people to foil any attempt to arrest the youths in their respective localities by demonstrating collectively on the roads.”