Panic gripped in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district when the security guards of Rajya Sabha member Nazir Ahmed Laway fired couple of shots in air to disperse the group of youth who resorted to indiscriminate stone-pelting on the cavalcade of Laway. The angry youth not only caused damage to public property but also set a Jammu Kashmir Police vehicle on fire.
Eyewitnesses told CNS that People’s Democratic Party senior leader and Rajya Sabha member Nazir Ahmed Laway was on way to Bogam Kulgam to inspect the Government Higher Secondary School there. “As the school authorities opened up the gate, scores of agitated people from the village amid pro-freedom slogans emerged from the back of the cavalcade and indiscriminately hurled pebbles and rocks on the officials, security men and the Rajya Sabha member. The security guards in a bid to disperse the youth and save the politician resorted to aerial firing. Laway did not enter the school and returned back, however, during his retreat from the area, a group of violent youth stopped a security vehicle (JK02BE-1829), forcing security men to come out from it and set it on fire,” Principal Muzaffar Ahmed told CNS.
The people mostly youth amid pro-slogans allegedly went on a rampage inside the school, damaging the parking vehicles, smashing windowpanes of the classrooms, breaking the furniture and ransacking the officials records. Eyewitnesses told CNS that the teaching and non-teaching staff as well as the Principal Muzafar Ahmed, Chief Education Officer Ghulam Rasool Shah and Deputy CEO, Bashir Ahmed Bhat took refuge into a classroom while the protesting people did not allow them to come out from the school. “The trouble started when locals found Laway present in the village. This village last year witnessed complete boycott during the Assembly elections and people mostly youth detest pro-India politician and don’t want to see their presence in the village,” a local resident told CNS adding the presence of Nazir Ahmed Laway irked people and they resorted to violence.
Eyewitnesses said that police and CRPF personnel fired scores of tear smoke shells to disperse the agitated people. However, the angry people did not budge and continued to attack police and school building for hours. “During the clashes a youth Muhammad Shafi Wani of the same village was arrested by police while another youth Nadeem Farooq Dar of Sunygam suffered injuries. People were demanding the immediate release of the youth and thus made the teaching staff and the official’s hostages.“We were made hostage by the people. After few hours of wait, a vehicle from Police managed to enter into school and helped us to leave the building. Police even did not allow us to lock the school and I don’t know whether people in the village will allow us to open up the school on Monday or not,” Principal Muzafar Ahmed said. A police official said that some trouble mongers attacked Member Parliament when he was in the area. “We dispersed them but they damaged public property,” he said adding that trouble mongers have been identified and will be booked soon. (CNS)