Jhutt’s illness a decoy likely: Cops

Srinagar, Feb. 6: It was a regular day at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital on Tuesday morning. Hundreds of patients and their family members were visiting Srinagar’s main healthcare facility for treatment until it thundered with gunfires.

Scared patients, their attendants and the hospital staff — everyone — jumped and ran cluelessly to safety. There was complete chaos at the hospital in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital, according to eyewitnesses.

Mohammed Naveed Jhutt, who was caught in Kulgam in south Kashmir in 2014, had complained of itchiness over the past few days to the medical staff at the Central Jail Srinagar after which he was referred to the hospital for suspected scabies.

Jhutt had been referred to SHMS for specialised treatment, a police official here said, suspecting it was a clever decoy to dodge security and may have involved meticulous planning. Doctors at the hospital’s dermatology department said scabies is the only skin infection which has no symptoms other than itchiness on the outside.

Eyewitnesses said as soon as the firing began, everyone — except the five Kashmiri inmates who were also brought to the hospital for treatment - started running for safety, as two policemen lay on the floor after being shot by the assailants.

The five inmates lay on the floor when shots were fired. — PTI