KL Report
Baramulla
Questioning the credibility of ‘civil society’ whom government claims to met in Baramulla, family of Tahir Sofi accuses government of lying to hush up the matter. The family while talking to Kashmir Life said that whatever the old town welfare committee will decide they will follow it.
“Government was lying when it said they had meeting in Dak banglow Baramulla. “They meet their few chosen ones,” Ghulam Rasool Sofi, Tahir’s father, told Kashmir Life.
“We don’t want any competition neither we want anyone to represent us. We shall be only represented by the old town welfare committee,” he added.
Meanwhile when entire Valley is limping back to normalcy, Baramulla on seventh consecutive day was under ‘undeclared curfew’. A heavy deployment of police and CRPF were seen in the town to tackle the
law and order situation.
According locals, district administration has closed all the five bridges including a foot bridge. Many patients were not allowed to go to hospital.
“Many patients including a pregnant woman and an ailing old man were told to return on Azad Gunj Bridge in ambulances. They were not allowed to go to hospital,” said a resident of area wishing not to be named.
The CRPF and Police didn’t allow them to move ahead saying there were ‘strict orders not to allow anyone even if he was dying to come to the new part of the town,” he added.
With small stone pelting incidents reported from two bridges a high level meeting was held in DIG office in which security situation in entire north Kashmir especially Baramulla town was reviewed. The meeting was attended by Director General of police, inspector general of police, deputy commissioner Baramulla, and some army officers.
To ease out tension and resume routine, the members of ‘old town welfare committee’ handed over a memorandum to deputy commissioner Baramulla and held a meeting as to how the tense situation in the town could be made normal. The meeting was also attended by DIG and S S P Baramulla.
It was stressed upon the administration that the army persons involved in the killing of Tahir Rasool Sofi should be brought to book. All the youth arrested recently should be released and the security forces camps in the old town should be removed.
Photo: Yaqoob Lala
Moulana Mohammad Qasim Shah, Chairman of the committee told Kashmir Life that they want an immediate removal of army camps in the town. “They (army) have been drugging our young children. Luring them with money to become informer when they refuse they create trouble for them. These army camps have become centres of crime. They should be immediately removed.”
