Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Police has registered two FIRs against CRPF’s Srinagar Unit over Nowhatta incident, wherein a stone-pelter was run over on Friday by a CRPF vehicle which was escaping a mob.
The FIRs have been registered under sections 307 (Attempt to murder), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 279 (Rash driving) among other sections including sections 149, 152, 336 and 427.
On Friday, a CRPF vehicle targeted by protesters in Nowhatta ran over three people in an attempt to get away. The incident triggered fresh protests and criticism for the government. One of the three who had received serious injuries, died later in the evening.
The incident in Srinagar’s Nowhatta area, just days ahead of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visit to the valley, could dampen the centre’s renewed efforts to reach out to Kashmiri youth after announcing the Ramzan truce with terrorists.
Alongwith reviewing preparation for the Amarnath Yatra due to begin on June 29, Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s another major focus during the visit is to signal his intent to engage with all stakeholders including the Hurriyat leaders.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah questioned Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s silence over the incident. “Ceasefire means no guns so use jeeps,” he tweeted, asking the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister if this was the standard operating procedure of dealing with protesters.
But the Jammu and Kashmir police tweeted that “a selective picture” did not present the “whole scene”, a reference to the videos and pictures that showed the aggressive mob attacking the vehicle.
Abdullah’s party described the pictures of a man being run over by a CRPF gypsy “haunting”.
“The gypsy was attacked – that’s a fact – yes. However, it’s a failure of the local police in the area to have allowed a CRPF gypsy to pass through an almost 200 strong hostile crowd,” National Conference spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu tweeted, blaming the police for allowing the jeep to pass through a hostile crowd.
“Almost every single civilian casualty in Kashmir is due to continued, repeated failures at crowd control, sanitisation of encounter sites and policing blunders. It’s not rocket science! You allow a CRPF gypsy to speed through a hostile crowd – didn’t you know this could happen???,” Mattu said.
Meanwhile, the Authorities on Saturday suspended mobile internet services in Srinagar and Budgam districts of the valley and reduced network speeds in south Kashmir as a precautionary measure.
A police official said that the high-speed mobile data services have been barred in four districts – Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian – of south Kashmir.
Mobile internet services have been suspended in Srinagar and Budgam districts, he said.
“In south Kashmir, 3G and 4G services have been barred, while 2G services were working,” the official said.
He said the mobile data services have been barred as a precautionary measure.
The separatists had called a strike across Kashmir on Saturday to protest against the recent civilian killings.
Prasanta Patnaik