Tension in Valley after taxi driver dies in armymilitant gunfire

Asif Iqbal’s family in Kupwara maintains that he was shot without warning by army; died on way to hospital

SRINAGAR : A taxi driver was allegedly killed by army soldiers in north Kashmir’s Kupwara area during a cordon operation on Saturday, army sources said on Sunday.

While the family of the slain driver, Asif Iqbal, said he was shot “without warning” when he stepped out of the house to ferry some patients to a hospital in his registered taxi, army sources said he was challenged but did not stop, forcing them to fire.

He died on the way to the hospital. The incident took place when army soldiers had laid an ambush in Kralpora area of Kupwara following information regarding movement of militants.

Police officials who did not want to be named confirmed the incident and said there was no report of any subversive activity against the slain driver.

DIG (north), V K Birdi told HT that the army’s 21 RR had cordoned the area.

Protests erupted in the district against the killing.

Defence ministry spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said, “At around 10.55 p.m., the military observed suspicious movement of three persons which prompted the security forces to open fire, leading to a gunfight.”

“In the cross-fire, a person, later identified as Asif Iqbal Bhat, a taxi driver, was killed due to a gunshot wound,” he added.

As people took to the streets shouting slogans on Sunday, security forces used tear smoke to disperse them.

SSP Kupwara, Shamsheer Hussain was quoted by a local news agency GNS as saying that it was a case of mistaken identity. Police has initiated an inquiry into the matter.

J&K CM ASKS ADMN TO SPEED UP PROBE

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti asked the Kupwara administration to speed up its probe into Iqbal’s death.

Expressing grief over his death, she asked the district administration to find out the circumstances in which he was killed. She also expressed sympathies with his family.

Meanwhile, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah condemned the killing of Asif Iqbal.

The senior National Conference leader said the Army’s “uninvestigated” claim that he was killed in crossfire should not be used to brush the incident under the carpet.