Protester killed, over 30 hurt as Kulgam erupts after encounter

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, February 12

A 22-year-old civilian was killed and more than 30 others were injured during clashes following the killing of four militants during an encounter in the Frisal area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Two Army men and a civilian were also killed in the gunfight.

Hundreds of protesters marched towards the encounter site in the Nagbal area of Frisal, soon after the news of the killing of militants spread.

The locals alleged that the security forces to thwart the movement of people fired at them, leaving more than 30 protesters injured.

“We received around 25 people at our hospital. More than 16 of them had bullet injuries,” said a doctor posted at Anantnag district hospital.

He said one of the injured, 22-year-old Mushtaq Ibrahim of Srigufwara in the Bijbehara area of Anantnag district, had lost too much blood and succumbed to his injures before he could be referred for specialised treatment. “He had two bullet wounds near his heart,” said the doctor.

He said four other injured were referred to Srinagar for specialised treatment.

“One has a pellet injury in his eyes. Another one with bullet wounds in his chest is critical,” the doctor said.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG), South Kashmir Range, SP Pani, told The Tribune that an investigation had been initiated into the matter. “We are trying to investigate the circumstances that led our men to take such extreme steps,” Pani said.

Meanwhile, clashes erupted across Anantnag and Kulgam districts of south Kashmir amid a spontaneous shutdown.

People came onto streets in Kulgam, Bijbehara and Anantnag towns and clashed with security forces personnel, who in return fired tear-smoke shells to quell the protests.

Clashes were also reported from the Srigufwara area, native place of the slain youth. There were however no reports of injuries to anybody during these protests.

NC condemns civilian killings 

Srinagar: The National Conference (NC) on Sunday condemned the killing of two civilians in Kulgam district and demanded an “impartial and time-bound probe” into it. In a statement issued from the party headquarters, NC’s Kulgam district president and legislator Abdul Majeed Bhat Larmi lashed out at the security forces, alleging that they resorted to “indiscriminate and brute force” which caused the death of the two civilians. “No apology from the administration can bring the two civilians back. They didn’t deserve to die. Therefore, it is necessary for the government to identify and punish those who are responsible for the killings,” Larmi said. The legislator ridiculed the recent assurances of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti that civilian lives will be secured, questioning why the security forces did not following the standard operating procedure. 

Probe initiated, says DIG

}An investigation has been initiated into the matter. We are trying to investigate the circumstances that led our men to take such extreme steps. —SP Pani, DIG, south kashmir range