Massive clashes erupted in central Kashmir’s Budgam district after an encounter between terrorists and security forces culminated in the killing of three civilians and a local terrorist and injuries to a dozen others, including a soldier and three policemen.
It all began when security forces cordoned off a three-storey house in which a terrorist was holed up, on the fringe of Durbugh Village in Chadoora pocket of central Kashmir's Budgam district. The holed up terrorist engaged the security forces for nine hours before the security forces bombed the house and killed him.
While the gun-battle was raging, scores of men attempted to march towards the encounter site to help the terrorists escape. They pelted stones at the forces and shouted slogans. Cornered by the mob, the police and paramilitaries tried save themselves by firing, that resulted in the death of three civilians.
While the separatist groups called for a shutdown to protest against the killings on Wednesday, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed anguish and called for “restrain from all sides”.
While the gun-battle was raging, scores of locals attempted to march towards the encounter site to help terrorists escape. They pelted stones at the forces at many places and shouted slogans. The police and paramilitaries tried to ward off the angry protesters by firing automatic weapons and pellet guns.
Three of the injured protesters were immediately shifted to a Srinagar hospital where they were declared dead by the doctors. Medical superintendent of Srinagar’s Sri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS), Nazir Choudhary said that they were brought dead from Chadoora. “All of them were hit by bullets. They were dead on arrival,” Choudhary said.
The slain people were identified as Zahid Rashid (23), Qaiser Ahmed Ganai (23) and Ishfaq Rashid (22). The deaths of civilian protests triggered massive protests and clashes. Police later snatched body of Zahid Rashid at lal Chowk when it was being escorted to Chadoora from the hospital. A policeman told the relatives of Rashid that the body would be taken to the police control room as its arrival in restive Chadoora would escalate the situation.
The protests began when security forces cordoned off a three-story house in which a terrorist was holed up, on the fringe of Durbugh Village in Chadoora pocket of central Kashmir’s Budgam district, around 20 kilometers from here. The holed up militant engaged the security forces for nine hours before the security forces bombed the house and killed him.
This is the first time that civilian population tried to help out militants from a cordoned off area in central Kashmir. The phenomenon has been witnessed in south and north Kashmir triggering a stern warning from army chief Gen Bipin Rawat to the protesters. Gen Rawat in his controversial statement said that the civilians disrupting the army operations against militants would be taken as upper-ground workers and dealt with sternly.
Sources said that amid clashes the cordoned off house was laid with multiple IEDs and mortar shells were fired towards it. This destroyed the concrete house leading to the holed up militant's death. "The operation has been called off. We have recovered body of a militant along-with a weapon," Srinagar based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said.
The slain militant was identified as Tauseef Ahmed of south Kashmir's Kulgam who had joined the militant ranks in October last. He was also a close associate of senior Hizbul Mujahideen commander from Budgam.
The separatist Joint Resistance Forum led by Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik called for daylong shutdown against the killings on Wednesday.
Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti expressed deep anguish and grief over the killings.
Terming these killings as highly unfortunate, the Chief Minister said the people in Kashmir continue to suffer massive collateral damage due to violence of past three decades. She said violence has given people of the State innumerable miseries and it is high time that peaceful means are given a chance for the resolution of the issues.
“We know there are issues that need to be addressed and resolved but no one will be able to do anything at a point when violence becomes a norm. There is a need for restrain from all sides so that conducive atmosphere is created and dissent is expressed in peaceful way,” she said and added that the solution to problems can be found only through political means and not through violence.