Current News Service
SRINAGAR
Over a dozen people were injured when forces fired pellets and tear-smoke shells on people who had gathered in Hanjivera village of Pattan town in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district to organize a pro-freedom rally on Saturday morning.
The locals alleged that forces personnel arrived in civil trucks and without any provocation attacked the people.
They alleged that forces personnel after targeting people with pellets and tear-smoke shells ransacked houses and thrashed people including women and children.
“A peaceful pro-freedom rally was scheduled to be held in our Hanjivera Bala village. The para-military CRPF and SOG Pattan suddenly arrived there and targeted us with pellets and tear-gas shells without any provocation,” said locals.
The locals added that over a dozen people were injured in forces action; some of them were shifted to Srinagar for treatment.
“A youth Mushtaq Ahmed according to them was critically injured after he was hit by a tear-gas shell in his head,” they said.
Doctors at sub-district hospital Pattan said that they referred a youth to Srinagar hospital as he had serious pellet injuries in his eyes.
When contacted SSP Baramulla Mir Imtiyaz Hussain said that a large number of youth had blocked highway who were checking the identity cards of commuters.
“When police intervened, they pelted stones on the forces and few tear-smoke shells were lobbed to disperse them,” he said.
