CRPF's ‘trigger-happy’ crowd control tactics Saturday claimed the life of a class 9th student in Khudwani area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Terming the incident unfortunate, Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone said that police has taken a serious note and whosoever is found is guilty will be punished under law.
Eyewitnesses told CNS that street protest over the injury of a youth (Amir Ahmad Parray) in CRPF firing in Mir Bazar Kulgam on Friday degenerated into a full-blown protest on Saturday in which a minor was killed when CRPF personnel from 18 Battalion allegedly fired a direct shot at Suhail Ahmed Lone son of Ghulam Qadir Lone resident of Misho Hawora Kulgam.Pertinently, a youth Amir Ahmad Parray son of Abdul Majid Parray, age 19 years, a resident of Gufbal village of Qaimoh received a bullet injury on Friday during anti-Israel protest in Qaimou Kulgam. Amir was admitted in SKIMS and according to doctors he bullet has hit right side of his chest.
Scores of people mostly youth staged a protest against CRPF action on Saturday and amid stone-pelting demanding stern action against the erring Para-military troopers. Eyewitnesses told CNS that the street protests continued for hours at Khudwani and Qaimou Kulgam on Saturday. The protestors and the government forces clashed with each other. The protestors resorted to heavy stone-pelting while government forces bursted tear smoke shells to disperse them.At around 3, when stone-pelting and tear gas shelling was going on in the area, CRPF personnel suddenly fired few bullets that created panic in the area. Moments later people saw Suhail lying in a pool of blood near a shop where he was sitting when CRPF fired directly at him,” an eyewitness told CNS adding that it was a target killing.
Witnesses further said that Suhail Ahmed was not a part of protest and he was sitting near a shop watching clashes between government forces and youth. Suhail was immediately taken to District Hospital Anantnag where doctors declared him brought dead.Scores of people carried the corpse of Suhail and marched towards Lal Chowk Anantnag where police swung into action and dispersed the protestors near Bus Stand. As the news about the killing of minor spread, there was spontaneous shutdown in Anantnag and Kulgam. All the shops and business establishments got closed and transport disappeared from the roads.Thousands of people participated in the funeral procession of Suhail Ahmed Lone. Funeral prayers in his favour were offered at Qaimou and at his native village Misho Wavora. There were intense clashes between government forces and protestors after the killing of the youth. Locals said that government forces fired scores of tear smoke shells creating panic in the area.
A police official said that heavy contingent of police and Para-military troopers have been deployed in the area to thwart the protests and stone-pelting incidents.The deceased Suhail Ahmed Lone was the younger son of Ghulam Qadir Lone who is a labourer by profession. Family sources told CNS that the elder brother of deceased has already lost an arm in an accident while his another brother is mentally unsound. Suhail was the 9th class student studying at Government High School Havoora.Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone Abdul Gani Mir told CNS that the incident was unfortunate. “We have taken a serious note of it and have taken up the investigation to ascertain the facts,” he said.Meanwhile, Geelani led Hurriyat has asked people of Kulgam to observe complete shutdown against the killing of 15 year old Suhail Ahmed.
Strongly condemning the killing of Suhail Ahmad Lone in the firing incident in Khudwani area of South Kashmir, State Secretary CPI(M) Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami said that the culprits must be identified without delay and brought to justice. While expressing his condolences with the bereaved family, Tarigami lamented that the administration deals with every situation either by imposing curfew or through the use of excessive force against people.The CPI (M) leader demanded a time-bound judicial probe into the incident to fix responsibility and punish the culprits to send a message that no one is above the law. "Impunity for the killings has to end, or else the consequences can be disastrous," he observed. (CNS)