‘There Was No Stone Pelting, Police Firing Was Unprovoked’
TAWSEEF BHAT
Palhallan, Sept 7: For ensuring safe passage to a top police official, can policemen shower bullets on unarmed civilians? This is the question which everybody asks in this apple rich village in North Kashmir where four persons were killed when police allegedly fired on them without any provocation on Monday.
Thousands of people from the adjoining areas visited the bereaved families on Tuesday in whatever mode of transport available to them.
The residence of Muhammad Ramzan Mir, a 45-year old farmer and father of five, wears a gloomy ambience.
“My father left home to participate in the funeral of one of the youth killed in police firing earlier. He told us to prepare some good food for Iftaar. But he never came back and became the victim of police action,” said Tariq Ahmad, Mir’s elder son.
Just 50 yards away is the single-storey modest house of Mudasir Abdullah Mir, a 20-year old youth of Wussan village who received a bullet in his head.
Mudasir left his studies to learn some skill which can fetch some bucks for his family. But Monday’s firing shattered the dreams of his family.
“My son was neither a militant nor a stone pelter. He left home along with several villagers to participate in the funeral of a person killed earlier after announcements were made through loudspeakers that people should move to Palhalan for the funeral procession,” said Muhammad Abdullah Mir, Mudasir’s father.
Just two kilometers from Wussan village is the Bhat Mohalla of Palhalan where two more youth died in police firing. At the residence of Feroz Ahmad, a 19-year old boy who was the first victim of police firing, angry youth in a tent represent the mood in the entire village.
“Feroz was killed one kilometer away from the highway when he was buying a chicken. The police entered the locality and showered bullets in every direction resulting in his death,” said Manzoor Ahmad, a mourner.
“They want to suppress
the pro-freedom sentiments in the Palhalan village. But for that they would have to kill thousands of Ferozs,” shouted Showkat Ahmad, a local resident.
The killing of another youth, Noor Muhammad, in the same locality has surcharged the atmosphere in the area. This 22-year old youth, according to his family, had come out from the local masjid after offering prayers. He was fired upon several times by policemen resulting in his death.
The agony of Noor Muhammad’s family does not end here. His brother also received a bullet in the incident and is struggling for life in SKIMS.
“The incident has left us speechless, we have lost our son and one more son, Abdul Rashid Tantray, is struggling for his life,” said a family member.
The residents termed the Government version of the incident as baseless.
“There was no incident of stone pelting on Monday. People were just coming out of the masjid and all of a sudden several police and CRPF vehicles stopped on the highway and the personnel entered the inner mohallas. They showered bullets at will, killing four innocent persons,” said Abdul Khaliq of Bhat Mohalla Palhallan.
The residents said that, if for the argument sake, stone pelting occurred at highway then how come people were killed one kilometer away from the spot.
An eyewitness, Muhammad Fazal, told this reporter that soon after the prayers in the area, a large contingent of police appeared in the area and without any provocation they fired in the area.
“By killing four people in the area, police motive seems simply to convey the local population to desist from the pro-freedom programs but this act will surely lift the popular sentiment in the area,” said Abdul Rashid of Palhallan.
Thousands of people from the adjoining areas visited the bereaved families on Tuesday in whatever mode of transport available to them.
The residence of Muhammad Ramzan Mir, a 45-year old farmer and father of five, wears a gloomy ambience.
“My father left home to participate in the funeral of one of the youth killed in police firing earlier. He told us to prepare some good food for Iftaar. But he never came back and became the victim of police action,” said Tariq Ahmad, Mir’s elder son.
Just 50 yards away is the single-storey modest house of Mudasir Abdullah Mir, a 20-year old youth of Wussan village who received a bullet in his head.
Mudasir left his studies to learn some skill which can fetch some bucks for his family. But Monday’s firing shattered the dreams of his family.
“My son was neither a militant nor a stone pelter. He left home along with several villagers to participate in the funeral of a person killed earlier after announcements were made through loudspeakers that people should move to Palhalan for the funeral procession,” said Muhammad Abdullah Mir, Mudasir’s father.
Just two kilometers from Wussan village is the Bhat Mohalla of Palhalan where two more youth died in police firing. At the residence of Feroz Ahmad, a 19-year old boy who was the first victim of police firing, angry youth in a tent represent the mood in the entire village.
“Feroz was killed one kilometer away from the highway when he was buying a chicken. The police entered the locality and showered bullets in every direction resulting in his death,” said Manzoor Ahmad, a mourner.
“They want to suppress
the pro-freedom sentiments in the Palhalan village. But for that they would have to kill thousands of Ferozs,” shouted Showkat Ahmad, a local resident.
The killing of another youth, Noor Muhammad, in the same locality has surcharged the atmosphere in the area. This 22-year old youth, according to his family, had come out from the local masjid after offering prayers. He was fired upon several times by policemen resulting in his death.
The agony of Noor Muhammad’s family does not end here. His brother also received a bullet in the incident and is struggling for life in SKIMS.
“The incident has left us speechless, we have lost our son and one more son, Abdul Rashid Tantray, is struggling for his life,” said a family member.
The residents termed the Government version of the incident as baseless.
“There was no incident of stone pelting on Monday. People were just coming out of the masjid and all of a sudden several police and CRPF vehicles stopped on the highway and the personnel entered the inner mohallas. They showered bullets at will, killing four innocent persons,” said Abdul Khaliq of Bhat Mohalla Palhallan.
The residents said that, if for the argument sake, stone pelting occurred at highway then how come people were killed one kilometer away from the spot.
An eyewitness, Muhammad Fazal, told this reporter that soon after the prayers in the area, a large contingent of police appeared in the area and without any provocation they fired in the area.
“By killing four people in the area, police motive seems simply to convey the local population to desist from the pro-freedom programs but this act will surely lift the popular sentiment in the area,” said Abdul Rashid of Palhallan.
No comments:
Post a Comment