Incident triggers protests, Army truck set on fire
SRINAGAR: A woman and a girl were crushed to death and another was injured by an army vehicle, part off a convoy in north Kashmirs Kupwara district on Tuesday. Killing of the two set off massive protests by angry locals who also set the army truck ablaze.
Reports said that three women pedestrians received serious injuries after an army vehicle (07D-176159N of 528 regiment) hit them near Bhat Mohalla in Panzgam on Kupwara- Chokibal road.
All the injured persons were immediately shifted to nearby hospital for treatment. However, Naza Begium (35) wife of Khazir Mohammad Bhat and Saima Afzal daughter of Mohammad Afzal Beigh, a class 7thstudent, both residents of Bhat Mohalla Panzgam succumbed to injuries. Another injured has been identified as Pakeeza daughter of Naza Begium. She was referred to Srinagar hospital for specialized treatment.
Soon after the news spread in the area, hundreds of people took to streets and staged protests against the army. The protesters, reports said, raised pro-freedom and ant-India slogans.
The deaths led to spontaneous shutdown in the area as a number of locals pelted the Army convoy with stones, police said.
The protestors later set the Army vehicle on fire, they said, adding fire tenders rushed to the spot immediately and doused off the flames. In the incident, the truck got partially damaged.
The situation has been brought under control by police even as the tension continues to simmer in the area, they said.
In another similar incident, a woman Darkshah Khursheed (25) w/o Zahoor Ahmad Rather of Wagoora Kreeri was injured after an army vehicle of 18RR collided with an Alto car (JK05E-0855 near Jamkash Delina in Baramulla.
The injured woman has been hospitalized.
Meanwhile, army has expressed condolence with the bereaved families over the deaths and said an in-house probe has been ordered.
Army regrets the loss of life and offers condolences with the family of the bereaved, armys senior defence ministry official in a statement.
The J&K Police are investigating the case and Army authorities are extending full cooperation to the Police to enable expeditious and early completion of the inquiry into the accident, the official added.
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