Videos of jawans manhandled by Kashmir mobs go viral

JAMMU: Three video clips of security personnel being roughed up and abused by mobs purportedly in Kashmir are being widely shared on social media.

In the first video, a youngster whacks a paramilitary jawan in the head while in the other, a man kicks the helmet a jawan is carrying in his hand and in the third video a group of youth is seen jeering, hurling invectives and getting physical with the men in uniform, who could be seen leaving the place quietly despite all the humiliation they suffered.

In the three videos, the soldiers are in fatigues as mobs shout “India go back” slogans and hurl abuses in Kashmiri.

HT can’t vouch for the veracity of the videos, which seem to have been shot using mobile phones.

But, a police officer in Kashmir said on Wednesday the clips were of April 9 in Budgam when the personnel were returning from poll duty after violence marred Srinagar LS bypolls.

“Their combat fatigues, weapons which they carried are INSAS rifles and SLRs and therefore there is no doubts that the men were from paramilitary force, probably CRPF. The incident has happened in Budgam area of Srinagar,” said official sources. The violence forced the election commission to postpone the Anantnag bypoll from April 12 to May 25.

Police had taken note of the videos, a home department official said.

Two defence spokespersons based in Srinagar and Jammu, however, feigned ignorance about the incident.

Srinagar-based spokesperson Col Kalia said there had been suspension in internet services in Kashmir (following violence on April 9) and hence could not see the video clips while Jammu based spokesperson Lt Col Mehta said that his Srinagar counterpart shall be the right person to speak on the incident.