Civilian shot as army fires at protesters

: A few days after three civilians died in army firing in Jammu and Kashmir, another civilian was injured after the force allegedly opened fire on protesters in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Monday.

According reports, Arif Lone was hit by a bullet in his mouth. A police spokesman said his condition was stable.

Police said the incident took place after a group of protesting youth pelted stones at an army patrol in Kulgam’s Hawoora. The army is yet to comment on the incident.

On January 27, two civilians were killed and several others injured when the army fired at a stone-pelting mob in Shopian district’s Ganawpora.

Another civilian, who had received a bullet injury, died a few days later.

The army has said that the jawans fired on protesters in “self-defence” to prevent the lynching of an officer, snatching of weapons by villagers and burning of their vehicles.

Eye witnesses, however, alleged that the security force opened fire on the villagers after a confrontation with them over the removal of an Islamic banner in the area.

Jammu and Kashmir police had registered a case against the Indian Army after the Shopian incident. State chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had said at the time that if any army officer made a mistake, it becomes “the duty of the government to take the FIR to its logical conclusion”.

SRINAGAR

J&K HOUSE ADJOURNED

The Jammu and Kashmir assembly was adjourned on Monday after opposition legislators created ruckus over continuing ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

The National Conference (NC) and Congress members stormed towards the Speaker’s podium alleging that the PDP-BJP government has failed to protect the lives and properties of those living along the international border

(IB) and the Line of Control (LoC).

They also said the coalition partners lacked unanimity on the issue as the Bharatiya Janata Party has been emphasising on construction of bunkers for the border people, while chief minister Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples Democratic Party was advocating improvement in the IndiaPakistan relations.