In Continuing with their tradition to intimidate unarmed civilians, Government armed men Saturday assaulted and thrashed journalist and medicos in Kashmir Valley thus prompting both the sections to condemn the highhandedness of policemen and inability on part of the government to contain such elements.Photojournalists affiliated with different media houses were beaten to pulp by Jammu Kashmir Armed Policemen (JKAP) in Batamaloo area of Srinagar city where they had gone to perform their professional duties. The victims alleged that they were targeted on the behest of Station House Officer (SHO) Batamaloo. “It was SHO Batamaloo who instigated and directed JKAP men. They swirled their transparent stick in air and hit us from right, left centre. Even a constable while hitting at a photo journalist accused journalists of writing against police officers,” said the victim photojournalists to news agency CNS.“First they dishonoured our curfew passed dully signed by District Magistrate. When one of the photo journalist tore his curfew pass and tried to call District Magistrate, a police constable pounced upon him. The SHO Batamaloo asked policemen to teach us a lesson. All these policemen who targeted us were non-Kashmiri’s and their bias and anger was visible when they shouted at us that they will kill us all,” the victims said adding that it was only after the intervention of a local police officer that these policemen stopped and fled from spot.Mubashir Khan from Greater Kashmir faced the maximum burnt while other photojournalists who fall prey to the police brutality were identified as Aman Farooq (Greater Kashmir), Faisal Khan (Kashmir Reader), Shah Jahangir (CNS) Omar Asif (KNS), Bilal Bahadur (Kashmir Life).Photojournalist not only staged a sit-in against the police highhandedness in Batamaloo area shortly after the incident but also took out a peaceful march in Press Enclave Srinagar.Meanwhile Kashmir Press Photographers Association (KPPA) condemned the "abusing and ruthless beating up" of over a dozen photojournalists by J&K Police while they were performing their professional duties in Batamaloo area of Srinagar on Saturday. Speaking to the reporters KPPA president Farooq Javaid said that if atrocities on journalists continue they will then stage protest outside Chief Ministers residence.A KPPA spokesman said: “The policemen at Batamaloo on seeing the photojournalists arrive in the area stopped them and when the photojournalists showed them curfew passes, policemen declined to honour the curfew passes, tore them and started abusing and beating them ruthlessly with canes.”
The spokesman said to protest their beating up, the photojournalists staged a sit-in protest on the spot and left after SSP Srinagar, Amit Kumar assured action against the policemen who have misbehaved and manhandled over a dozen photographers representing various local and international media outlets.He said the policemen who roughed up the photojournalists told them that they were only executing the orders of SHO Batamaloo, who had told them to deal sternly with the press photographers by beating them to pulp.Condemning the attack, the spokesman said they would be forced to hit the streets and cordon the residence of the Chief Minister if action was not taken against the guilty policemen.In another such incident Policemen assaulted a group of doctors and other staff members of the Sub-district hospital, Magam after stopping the ambulance ferrying them near Barthana Qamarwari.“Today morning as a routine, the ambulance of Sub District Hospital was ferrying medical staff of the hospital and on way to Magam the ambulance was stopped by a cop at Barthana. The policeman was very ill-mannered while talking with the ambulance driver and later dragged him down from the ambulance. He was then brutally manhandled and verbally abused which made the staff in the ambulance to come down and respond to the unruly behavior by the said cop. The cop along with other forces harassed the whole staff and showered choicest abuses on them and didn't even spare the female staff. They also threatened them of the dire consequences. To add to the shame the men in uniform didn't even allow the staff to reach to the hospital which compelled the staff to turn back,” said Dr G M Mir, President Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK).DAK strongly condemned the assault on health staff by a cop of J&K Police. Meanwhile, a protest was staged jointly by Doctors Association Kashmir, Health and Family Welfare Confederation, J&K Drivers Association of Health Department. (CNS)