Two car-borne civilians were shot dead and two others wounded when troops of Rashtriya Rifles opened fire on them when they did not stop their vehicle at checkpoints at Chattergam village in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Monday evening. The Army has regretted the incident and ordered an enquiry to investigate into the circumstance leading to the shooting.
The incident evoked sharp resentment in the area as people came out on roads to protest against the Army. Senior separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani condemned the killings and asked the people to come out and protest. The incident took place two days after Security’s Core Group assessed situation ahead of Assembly polls and alerted troops.
Sources said that troops of 53-Rashtriya Rifles were on duty at Chattergam village in central district Budgam on Monday evening. Around 5pm, the troops signalled a car bearing registration number JKOIR-321 to halt for searches but the driver of the vehicle moved ahead without stopping. A spokesman of the Army said that the troops had “specific intelligence reports about the movement of terrorists in a white Maruti 800 on November 3 along Nowgam to Pulwama road. Based on this input, three Mobile Vehicle Check Posts (MVCP) were established along the road”.
The spokesman claimed that a car of similar specifications approached the nakas. “At the first check point, the personnel tried to stop the car but it did not stop. Again at the second check point, the vehicle was signaled to stop but it did not stop. At the third check point, the vehicle tried to barge through the checkpoint, resulting into a firing incident in which four persons were injured. The injured were rushed to the Army Base Hospital, Srinagar. Two persons succumbed to their injuries and two are under treatment,” the spokesman claimed.
The slain youth have been identified as Fazal and Mehraj, while the two injured have been identified as Shahid and Shakeel. “The Army regrets the loss of lives and has ordered an enquiry to investigate into the circumstance leading to the incident. Anyone found guilty will be severely dealt with,” he added.
Kashmir-range Inspector General Police (IGP) AG Mir said they have lodged an FIR into the incident. “law will take its own course,” he told a local news agency. Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani said, “Indian troops are killing civilians which is highly condemnable.” The deaths occurred a day before security forces imposed restrictions in capital Srinagar to thwart assembly of people on occasion of Martyrdom anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussain.
The civilian deaths are likely to evoke public resentment at a time when Assembly polls have been announced in the embattled State. The authorities have launched a massive crackdown on separatists who have called for poll boycott. The security agencies say that the militants would attempt to derail the poll process by escalating violence.