Nomadic herdsman dies in Army firing
◗ The police has registered an FIR against the men of the unit concerned. ◗ The state government has also ordered an inquiry.
Srinagar: A nomadic herdsman was killed and another wounded in Army firing in a remote area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district early Sunday, triggering protests by Gujjar community. The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
A nomadic herdsman was killed and another wounded in Army firing in a remote area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district early Sunday, triggering protests by the Gujjar community.
The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident whereas the police has registered a First Information Report ( FIR) against the men of the Army unit involved in the firing.
Twenty- eight- year- old Muhammad Rafiq Gujjar and 30- year- old Shakeel Ahmed were shot at by troops of the Army’s 58 Rashtriya Rifles in Kohli area of Ramban’s Gooltehsil around 4 am when they had just returned home. Gujjar died on the spot. Ahmed, who was injured in the firing, was shifted to district hospital Ramban where he told reporters that the Army “barged into our dwelling and opened fire when we had just returned after delivering cattle” at a nearby place.
The Army, however, said that its men opened fire after they came under fire in the area. Jammu- based defence spokesman Lt. Col. Devender Anand said that the Army had, on specific intelligence inputs, launched an operation at Kohli. “At 3.45 am the Army patrol saw some suspicious activity. The Army challenged the suspected individuals as per Standing Operating Procedure ( SOP). On being challenged, the suspected individuals opened fire upon the Army patrol. The Army patrol retaliated effectively,” he said.
SSP Ramban Mohan Lal said an FIR has been registered against 58 Rastriya Rifles at Dharamkund police station and that the investigations were underway.
The incident comes a day after a 25- year- old youth of the Gujjar community was shot dead by CRPF officers posted at the residence of former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah at Bhatindi in Jammu. Hundreds of people on Sunday attended his funeral and later held protests against the killing of an “innocent unarmed man.”
In view of the incident, the state government has ordered constitution of a three member committee headed by Additional director general of police ( security) to review the security of protected persons.