Man run over by CRPF jeep dies, Valley on edge
Protests in Srinagar, paramilitary force says action in self defence
SRINAGAR: Srinagar was on the boil again on Saturday, following the death of a 21-year old run over by a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) vehicle targeted by protesters on Friday, significantly dampening the mood ahead of a visit by union home minister Rajnath Singh.
On Saturday, hundreds of slogan-shouting mourners marched to the funeral of Kaiser Ameen and attempted to carry his body to a local graveyard in defiance of government orders. They were stopped by security forces that used tear gas and fired pellets; at least 10 people were reported to have been injured. The local administration snapped mobile internet services even as shops, businesses and schools remained closed.
“Kaiser, who had to be placed on life support (on Friday), passed away around midnight,” said SKIMS medical superintendent Dr Farooq Jan. “Although Yunus Ahmad is also in a critical state, we are hopeful of his survival.” Later in the evening, three separate grenade attacks rocked the city, injuring four CRPF personnel and two civilians. No militant group claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Police said Ahmad, 24, and Ameen were crushed by the jeep after scores of protesters began shouting anti-establishment slogans and allegedly attacked security personnel with stones outside the Jamia Masjid after Friday
prayers. According to CRPF public relations officer Sanjay Sharma, the vehicle was carrying SS Yadav, the second-in-command of the 28th Battalion.
“They (protesters) came very close, and some even climbed on the vehicle. The protesters were trying to lynch those inside the vehicle, and the driver was only trying to get them out of the situation,” he maintained. He added that it was likely that somebody “might have come under the vehicle” in the heat of the moment. The incident triggered a war of words between former chief minister Omar Abdullah and union minister Jitendra Singh. Abdullah tweeted, “Earlier they tied people to the fronts of jeeps and paraded them around villages to deter protesters. Now they just drive their jeeps right over protestors. Is this your new SOP?”
Singh, an MP from Udhampur in Jammu region, hit back at the former CM saying that the National Conference leader’s tweet smacked of “the double standards of Kashmir centric politicians”. The security forces are a soft target for these politicians who can’t speak out against the militants, he added.
Police said they have booked the CRPF driver for rash driving and also lodged a case against unidentified stone-pelters for rioting and attempted murder in connection with the violence that erupted in the city on Friday.
Top separatist leaders Yasin Malik, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Geelani were also placed under detention.
Friday’s incident was the second of its kind in recent weeks and came amidst a Ramzan ceasefire.
Last month, a young man was killed when a when a police armoured vehicle ran over him during clashes with government forces in Srinagar.
Protests after Friday prayers have once again become a common feature in the old city.
Last week, after Friday prayers, the police fired pellets to quell protesters. More than 20 people were injured.
Since the ceasefire was announced last month, there have been four attacks on the army that have left one soldier dead and four others injured, apart from the killing of two civilians.
“To sustain ceasefire, one has to break the vicious cycle of violence, which is difficult,” said Prof Noor Ahmad Baba, political expert and former Dean School of Social Sciences at Central University Kashmir.
“The government has to show that restraint being the responsible party. And at the same time they should go ahead and start dialogue.”