KL Report
SRINAGAR
A day after protests rock south Kashmir’s Tral, locals say authorities have “beefed up” security in many areas on Wednesday — thus making certain quarters to react that an “under declared” curfew has been imposed over the town.
But SP Awantipora, Irshad Ahmad turned down the local version, saying: “No, no. There are no restrictions in place.”
A police official on ground, however, said more forces have been mobilised to “prevent the situation from getting worst”.
Many locals who sense an “under declared” curfew in Tral said: “Huge forces have been called and stationed in Tral. It looks like undeclared curfew.”
Pertinently, protests broke out in this restive part of south Kashmir after Khalid Wani, a brother of Hizb commander, Burhan Wani was killed in army action in Kamla forests on Monday. He had visited his militant brother with biryani along with his three friends.
Earlier army termed its kill as “militant”. But as Tral protested against the “civilian killing”, the army backtracked from its earlier statement, saying, “Khalid was Hizb’s over ground worker.” In fact, police, later too termed Khalid a Hizb’s OGW.
But the father of slain youth, Muzaffar Wani rubbished army and police version saying: “My son was innocent, who had nothing to do with militancy.”
Khalid’s father, who is a school principal, said that his son was running a medical Lab in town.
“He was tortured to death,” the grieving father said. “His bones were broken, face mutilated and his eyes were badly damaged.”
The father contested the army version that, “Khalid was killed in an encounter”, saying: “There was no bullet wound on his body.”
