‘Kashmiris rushing to encounter sites committing suicide’

› A bullet does not know whom it will hit. My appeal to all the young boys is that they should remain in their homes. SP VAID, J&K DGP

SRINAGAR: Youngsters were committing suicide by rushing to encounter sites and throwing stones at security forces, Jammu and Kashmir police chief SP Vaid said on Thursday, commending the force for minimising civilian casualties despite “great provocation”.

The comments came two days after three civilians were killed during a gunfight in Kashmir’s Budgam when security forces battling militants opened fire on a group of stone-pelting protesters.

The crowd was allegedly trying to help a militant escape but the man was killed.

“In the encounter even security forces and police take cover of a bulletproof vehicle or a house. Youths coming to the encounter sites are committing suicide,” Vaid said.

Pakistan was instigating Kashmiri youth and paying them money to throw stones, Vaid said, adding many such people were apprehended during the last year’s unrest.

The six-month long violent street protests left 90 people dead after a local militant leader, Burhan Wani, was killed in a gunfight in July.

Vaid said the “neighbouring country” was also using social media platforms such as WhatsApp to egg youth into stonepelting. Police had apprehended many youth who “were instigating and paying for pelting stones’’.

“During the Padgampora encounter on March 10, in no time WhatsApp messages urging youth to assemble near the encounter site to save militants became viral. We later found out the messages were uploaded in Pakistan,’’ Vaid said. A 15-yearold boy was killed when a “stray bullet” hit him near the gunfight spot.

Protesters rushing to gunbattle sites and attacking security forces is a growing concern in the border state.

“A bullet does not know whom it will hit. My appeal to all the young boys is that they should remain in their homes. The youth must understand that they are being used by people for their short-term political gains,” Vaid said.

“In spite of great provocation, we have been able to minimise collateral damage and civilian casualties,” said DGP Vaid

This year, several civilian deaths have been reported during gun battles between militants and security forces.

Army chief Bipin Rawat had in February warned of tough action against those attacking security forces during anti-militancy operations.

The state government has declared three-kilometre area around an encounter site as a no-go zone in Srinagar, Budgam and Shopian districts.