KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
At least two freedom rallies were attacked and foiled by forces including Rashtriya Rifles, CRPF and police men while a 15-year-old girl died in South Kashmir’s Shopian on Monday after suffering heart attack during protest demonstration. However, police said that the death of the girl and protests “are not related”.
The deceased has been identified as Khushboo Hussain, d/o Muhammad Hussain, r/o Gaddapora village of Shopian.
Notably, locals of a nearby village, Vihil, had planned a pro-freedom rally in the area today which was foiled by Rashtriya Rifles (RR), CRPF and police men. However, people assembled in nearby villages to hold the planned rally and clashes erupted and spread to Chatwatan village.
“Intense clashes erupted in Chatwatan village after forces foiled the scheduled rally in Vihil village,” a local said, “clashes erupted and people from adjoining village like Gaddapora, Bemnipora, Hanjipora, Kachdoora, Vihil, Harmain, Sedow, Nowgam, Minipora are in reached Chatwatan.”
Local sources said that following the clashes, many people were injured and women folk from many areas tried to march towards Chatwatan.
“A group of ladies came from Gaddapora,” a local resident of the village said, “they assembled at Kachdoora as intense clashes were going on in nearby Chatwatan.”
As injuries mounted, the local said, “from Kachdoora, women were sent back to their homes as clashes intensified.”
Father of Khushboo, Mohammad Hussain Bhat, said, “my daughter was coming home along with many other women and suddenly news spread that army has come.”
“Hearing the news,” Bhat told Kashmir Life, “Khusboo Jan fell unconscious and blood dripped out of her mouth and nose.” She was rushed to PHC Harmain which is about four KM away from Gaddapora.
Bhat, an artisan, said that doctors at PHC Harmain declared her “brought dead”. “She had suffered heart attack.”
A class seven student at Government Primary School Gaddapora, Khusboo was youngest daughter of Bhat. Bhat has six children – five daughters and one son who is youngest of all. Only one daughter of Bhat has been married, so far.
“The incident happened in between Gaddapora and Bemnipora,” a local said while detailing the route women protestors took while returning from Kachdoora. She was buried in local graveyard in the evening. With the death of Khushboo, the civilian death toll in Kashmir since July 09, 2016 has reached 88.
The locals said that forces used tear gas & PAVA shells, pellets, and also resorted to aerial firing in Chatwatan to disperse off the people. “Forces damaged private property worth lakhs of rupees in Chatwatan village,” they said, “even electricity transformers and water tanks were damaged.”
The locals said a 12-year-old boy was arrested from the village when forces chased protestors.
Meanwhile, curfew was imposed in Pulwama and Baramulla districts of Kashmir, while it also remained in force in some other areas of the Valley including in parts of Srinagar, in view of call for a protest march to the three districts by the unified resistance leadership.
The resistance leadership had called for a march to the three districts Baramulla (in north Kashmir), Srinagar (in central Kashmir) and Pulwama (in south Kashmir) on Monday.
They had asked people of north Kashmir districts of Bandipora and Kupwara to march towards Baramulla, people of south Kashmir districts of Shopian, Kulgam and Islamabad to march to Pulwama and people of Central Kashmir.
Normal life remained disrupted in the Valley for the 73rd straight day. However, there was brisk movement of government and private vehicles in and around Lal Chowk.
Reports from North and South Kashmir said that strict curfew remained in vogue in Baramulla, Sopore and Sangrama areas while the movement of the people was also restricted in Pulwama, Shopian and other parts of the Valley. Curbs also remained in force in areas falling under the jurisdiction of five police stations of old Srinagar city.
Despite official curfew clashes erupted in Vihil village of Shopian district in south Kashmir on Monday after people defied curfew to participate in a march called by the resistance leadership.
Witnesses and reports said that a school caught fire after a teargas shell landed inside it during the clashes. They said that Government High School in Chatwatan village was gutted in the fire.
Pertinently, District Magistrate Shopian had issued an order stating that there will be curfew on 19th September (Monday) 2016 in village Vehil and its adjacent areas from dawn to dusk in view of protest-cum-Vehil ‘Chalo’ call.
Witnesses said that people defied the government order and defied it. Large number of people marched towards the venue, however, they were stopped by forces triggering clashes.
Locals from Panzipora Tarzoo area of Sopore town in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district alleged that police and CRPF men set 13 motor-cycles on fire and completely damaged eight other motor-bikes and private vehicles.
“A peaceful pro-freedom rally was going on in Panzipora ground at Tarzoo when armed forces emerged at the scene and without any provocation fired pellets and tear-smoke shells on the participants. The forces set ablaze the tents and also set ablaze the 13 motor-cycles while causing damage to other 8 bikes and vehicles. While retreating from the area, the CRPF and police men fired upon four power transformers at Krankshivan area and damaged them,” the locals alleged adding that the agitated people from adjacent villages hit to roads and staged a massive protest against forces action. People pelted stones on the forces while in the ensuing clashes more than 15 persons were injured.
When contacted a police official refuted the claims made by the people saying that no motor-cycle or vehicle was set ablaze.
He said that protesters resorted to stone-pelting while one of the stone-pelters was arrested on spot.
Earlier, a pro-freedom rally was organized by people at Boitnegu Sopore on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, a heritage school building was gutted in mysterious fire in Lal Chowk area of South Kashmir’s Islamabad district.
Meanwhile, J&K Police issued a statement on Monday evening about the death of Khushboo Hussain.
The statement is being reproduced here verbatim.
Some people have posted on social networking sites that a girl namely Khushboo, d/o Mohd Hussain Bhat, r/o Gaddapora Shopian died of heart attack after clashes between Police/Security forces and miscreants in Vehil Shopian.
In this regard, the district administration Shopian has clarified that Gaddapora , the home of the said girl is about 7 KM away from Vehil, where the “miscreants” set on fire a school and also indulged in stone pelting.
As per the hospital authorities the girl has died in all likelihood because of cardiac arrest. The death of the girl is no way related to the incident that happened at Vehil. These posts are as such bereft of facts and are as such clarified.
