KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Several women, men and youth were injured on Sunday evening when forces swung into action against hundreds of protestors seeking release of a local of Kunan village outside Police station in Trehgam north Kashmir’s Kupwara District.
Witnesses alleged the forces used teargas, pepper gas, and stun shells on them which caused injuries to dozen of protestors. Various protesters were injured in the cane-charge.
A woman protester of Kunan-Poshpora had injury in her nose when she fell down while running away, witnesses said. “The sprayed some kind of gas and we felt like we will be blinded soon, then we sprinkled water on our eyes,” a woman protestor said.
Some of the injured were treated at a local heath facility.
The protestors alleged that a middle aged man namely Mohammad Jamal of Kunan was tricked into detention. The protestors said that Jamal was arrested when a cop sought lift from him while he was riding on his motorcycle. The police man wanted him to drive him to Trehgam. “When he reached Trehgam, the forces arrested him and lodged him in the police station,” a relative of the detainee said. “Jamal’s son is a soldier in army,” he added.
When the word spread in Kunan village, hundreds of women, men and youth came out from their house and started marching towards Trehgam.
The protesters were chanting anti India slogans. In Trehgam many people joined them and continued March towards the police station. The forces action broke out as soon as they were near police station. “They started the action by pelting stones on us,” a protester said.
An elderly protester said that while he was taking to SHO of the police station to negotiate the release of Jamal, the CRPF men smacked him with batons. “I ran away from the spot.”
Another youth was detained last Sunday after the pro-freedom rally ended. He has been lodged in district jail Kupwara.
Earlier in the day the forces foiled a rally in Trehgam and imposed strict curfew in the area. Hundreds of army, police and CRPF personnel were deployed along the road that connects Kunan Phosphora with Trehgam during the day time.
