PATTAN: Nocturnal raids by police sparked violent protests in restive Palhalan block of Pattan Monday and the resultant police firing left a 23 year old dead and four others injured, two of them critically.
This is the first civilian killing by the government forces in 2015.
Reports said that a joint party of local police and SOG raided the house of one Ghulam Muhammad Bhat in Palhalan late last night to arrest his son Ashiq Ahmad.
Family members alleged that the policemen not only ransacked their house, smashed the windowpanes but also beat the inmates, including womenfolk, after they failed to locate Ashiq.
Police personal asked the family members to come out of the house and thrashed my father and brother mercilessly, said Muzzafar Ahmad, Ashiqs brother.
Somehow we got inside our house and bolted it from inside, he said, adding, the policeman got infuriated and started ransacking whatever came in their way.
Ashiq is innocent and want to live a peaceful life but police is forcing him to join militancy. During the nocturnal raid police beat us mercilessly and damaged our property. Look at these injured faces, he said and identified the injured family members as Sakina Bano, Muhammad Yaqoob and Ghulam Muhammad Bhat.
Reports said that as the news about the raid and subsequent thrashing spread in the area, people came out of their houses in large numbers and began protesting the police high handedness.
Police used tear-smoke shells and fired some shots to disperse them, resulting in the injuries to four youth.
Doctors at Sub-District Hospital Pattan said that out of the four injured youth brought there, three have suffered serious injuries and one of them was rushed to JVC Srinagar.
The injured were identified as Farooq Ahmad Bhat, Riyaz Ahmad Bhat and Zahid Ahmad Bhat.
All the injured were rushed to hospital where Farooq Ahmad Bhat alias Prince (23) son of Ghulam Ahmad Bhat of Baghat Mohalla Palhallan succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
Shafiq Ahmad, a neighbor of slain youth said that at 4:30 P.M, Govt forces fired on peaceful protesters in which Farooq was seriously injured. I alongwith some people shifted Farooq to JVC Hospital in Srinagar, where doctors declared him brought dead. He had received two bullets one on arm and one on face, he said.
Reports said as the body of the slain youth reached Palhalan in the evening, hundreds of people came on streets protesting against the killing. The protesters shouting slogans were marching on the streets of Palhalan till this report was being filled late in the evening.
The protesters clashed with government forces resulting in injuries to three policemen including Hawaldar Shamsudin and a CRPF jawan. The protesters also damaged several police vehicles.
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