KANGAN
The protests following civilian and militant killings in Shopian on the first day of April spiraled across Kashmir. In Kangan area of Ganderbal district, Gowher Ahmad Rather, 22, suffered a head injury after he was chased by Police. While Gowher was fighting for his life in SKIMS, police denied any involvement and said he was injured after his head hit a drain. But the CT scan confirmed there are iron metal inside his brain. After his death, government ordered a magisterial inquiry to be completed within 20 days. Soon, police’s departmental inquiry found an SPO Gulzar Ahmad guilty and put him under suspension. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti visited slain’s residence to condole Gowher’s killing.
SHOPIAN
Adeeba Tak, 17, became first girl from Shopian district to get admission in the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), USA, in mechanical engineering. Her studies will be funded by a scholarship. Though she had got admission to the University of California, Santa Barbara, Adeeba preferred the UPenn, one of the prestigious universities of the West. It boasts of producing 30 Nobel laureates, 25 billionaires – most by any University at the undergraduate level, and a significant number of Fortune 500 CEOs.
HAJIN
The fear of death has once again returned to erstwhile Ikhwan town of Hajin in north Kashmir. In less than a week, two Hajin residents: Muntazir Ahmad Parrey and Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, 23, were abducted by unknown gunmen. Within a day, their bodies were found, but with their heads missing. Though no group has so far claimed the killings, police maintains one local militant and four foreigners of LeT are behind this act. Since Bhat’s funeral, which was attended by his neighbours and relatives only, entire Hajin town is engulfed in fear.
MUMBAI
It is no secret that Bollywood’s understanding of Kashmir is limited to Dal Lake and scenic mountains only. But glorification of a sensitive incident like use of human shield in Kashmir by filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala, in his new film Baaghi 2, has irked everyone in Kashmir. Critics termed Tiger Shroff’s portrayal of Indian army officer Ranveer Pratap Singh, who uses a Kashmiri as human shield by tying him to the front of his jeep, as “ignorant and insensitive”.
KOKERNAG
The blood-soaked first week of April 2018, consumed two more lives when a local CRPF duo, travelling on a motorcycle, were crushed to death by a CRPF vehicle near Kokernag in south Kashmir. Identified as Riyaz Ahmed Wani of Verinag and Nissar Ahmed Wani of Kokernag, who were in their civvies, were hit when the CRPF vehicle was “withdrawing” from the area.
However, locals refuted the official claim and alleged that the incident did not happen during withdrawal.
AWANTIPORA
In yet another tragic accident on the highway, Ghulam Nabi Dar, 40, his wife Jawahara Begum, 35, their son Nasir Dar, 3, died on the spot after their car hit a speeding truck near Lethpora in Srinagar outskirts. Dar, a resident of Hatlungoo Sopore, was on his way back home from Jammu when the tragedy happened.
The new four-lane highway that passes through saffron fields of Pampore has consumed a number of lives since its widening, all because of unchecked speeding vehicles.
