KL Report
SRINAGAR
Curfew continues for the consecutive fourth day in Palhalan town of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district. People allege police harassment and claimed that they were not even being allowed to distribute the sacrificial meat. Deputy Commissioner Baramulla told a local news agency, CNS that there is no curfew in town while the people themselves prefer to remain indoors after the murder of an aged policeman.
Pertinently, soon after the Eid prayers, youth attacked a police bus in the town resulting in the death of a police driver Karnail Singh from Singhpora Delina. The driver according to eyewitness lost control over his vehicle and collided with an electric pole.
Locals told CNS that soon after the incident police went on a rampage and not only ransacked the houses but beat inmates and set the cartwheels belonging to vendors on fire.
“We were not allowed to even distribute the sacrificial meet while majority of the people did not offer sacrifices,” one of the residents of Palhalan told CNS adding that nobody is allowed to venture from his house.
However, police denied these allegations saying that youth of Palhalan are responsible for the murder of an innocent policeman. “There is no curfew in the town. We have imposed restrictions as precautionary measures. We appeal elders of the town to come forward and assure us that no such incident occur in future,” Deputy Inspector General of Police, North Kashmir, JP Singh told CNS adding that it has become a routing for the youth in Palhalan to attack any police van passing through roads.
A police official said that we have already registered a case against the stone pelters vide FIR number264/2013 under section 302, 153, 153B and 120A of RPC. “However, we have not arrested anyone yet. Soon after identifying the culprits we are going to start a crackdown on these pelters,” he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Ghulam Ahmed Khawaja told CNS that he would personally visit the town to ascertain the situation. “There is no curfew in the town and I appeal people to restore their business. People are themselves not opening the shops as they know an innocent policeman has been murdered by angry and agitated youth in the town,” he said.
