Army Kills 2 Youth In Shopian

Srinagar—Two civilians were killed and nine others were injured after army opened fire on protesters in Ganowpora village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Saturday. Police has registered a case “under relevant sections of law” against the army while the divisional administration ordered a magisterial probe into the incident to be completed in 20 days.

Reports said that youth hurled stones at an army party in Ganowpora village. They said that army responded by opening fire on the protesters, resulting into injuries to eleven people.

Sources at District Hospital Pulwama said that four injured were brought to the facility for treatment. “One of injured, identified as Javid Ahmad Bhat (20) of Balpora, was brought to the hospital with critical head injury. He succumbed at the facility,” said a source.

A police spokesman said three individuals namely Javiad Ahmad Bhat (20) son of  Abdul Rashid Bhat resident of  Balpora Shopian, Rayees Ahmad Ganaie (24) son of  Mohammad Yousuf resident of Nadpora Shopian and Suhail Javaid son of  Javaid Ahmad Lone resident of Ganowpora sustained bullet injuries. Javaid Ahmad and Suhail Javaid succumbed to the injuries at District Hospital Pulwama and P.H. Rajpora respectively, the police said. Rayees Ahmad Ganaie has been referred to SKIMS Soura where he is being operated upon. 

“In this connection a case FIR No. 26/2018 under relevant sections of law stands registered in Police Station Shopian and investigation has been set into motion.”

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Baseer Ahmad Khan said that the magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the killings.

Khan said that Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shopian, Muhammad Aijaz has been appointed as the inquiry officer to ascertain the facts about the deaths. He said that Deputy Commissioner has been directed to submit the report within 20 days.

Fired in ‘self-defence’: Army  

Army on Saturday said that it opened fire in Ganaupura Shopian in “self defence”. The firing led to the killing of two civilian and injuries to several other civilians.

According to a statement from Public Relations Officer PRO (Defence), the convoy was passing through Ganowpora Chowk in Shopian when it came under unprovoked and intense stone pelting by a group of 100-120 people. Within no time, their numbers swelled to 200-250 persons.

“The crowd surrounded an isolated portion of the convoy consisting of four vehicles. They caused extensive damage to these vehicles and tried to set them on fire.”

A junior commissioned officer accompanying the convoy got hit on the head and fell unconscious, suffering a serious head injury, the statement added.

As the situation went out of hand, he said, the army opened fire at the mob for self-defence.

A total of seven army men suffered injuries and extensive damage was caused to eleven vehicles. In the process, two civilians succumbed to their bullet injuries.

The incident comes days after two terrorists were killed in an encounter in Dairoo’s Chaigund area in Shopian on Wednesday. The slain terrorists were later identified as locals.

A local boy was also killed in the ensuing crossfire, while two women sustained injuries.

Mehbooba rings Sitharaman: Every civilian killing impairs political process

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today spoke to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and expressed anguish over the death of two civilians in an Army firing in Shopian district in the state.

The two civilians were killed when Army personnel fired on a group of violent protesters, who pelted stones on a security force convoy passing through Ganovpora village.  

“The chief minister said every civilian killing, notwithstanding how erroneously made, impairs the political process in the state, which has been put on track after hard work by all political parties,” an official spokesman said.

Sitharaman assured Mufti she would seek a detailed report in connection with the incident.

The defence minister said she would impress upon the field formations that mechanisms put in place were strictly adhered to so that such incidents do not recur, the spokesman said.

Mirwaiz Questions World Community’s Silence On ‘Mayhem’  

Terming Shopian incident as ‘mayhem’, Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Saturday questioned the silence maintained by the world community over the continuous killings in Kashmir.

Mirwaiz said that human rights activists and civil society members are neglecting the continuous killings in Kashmir and are instead maintaining a “callous” watch on it without doing anything about it. 

 “Rights activists, humanists and civil society members have turned deaf dumb and blind to the butchering of young Kashmiris and the world human rights watchdogs callously watch on,doing nothing.People of Kashmir strongly protest this barbarity unleashed upon them by the Indian..,” Mirwaiz said in a tweet.

In another tweet, Mirwaiz wrote: “Mayhem! in Gowanpora Shopian! Forces fire live bullets at youth killing 20 year old Javed Bhat (20)and 24 year old Suhail lone on spot and critically injuring 9 others who are battling for life in hospitals!The #DeathDanceOfOccupation continues! Its a shame that the Indian media”.

Two civilians were killed and nine others injured, after army opened fire on protesters in Ganowpora village of Shopian district.

Oppn Condemns  

Opposition parties in J and K on Saturday severely condemned the killing of two civilians in forces firing in the Ganowpora area of Shopian, with the NC terming them as “unfortunate” and a failure of the government, and the Congress saying that they (the killings) portrayed a situation “out of control.”

NC president, Farooq Abdullah, said that the government had totally failed to put an end to the killing of civilians in Kashmir.

“The unfortunate civilian killings must be stopped forthwith,”. Abdullah said in a statement.  

Expressing grief over the loss of precious lives, the NC’s working president, Omar Abdullah, said that the killings were painful, and that he stood in solidarity with the bereaved families in their moment of inconsolable loss.

National Conference General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani and NC spokesman, Junaid Matoo have also strongly condemned the killings in Shopian and extended their condolences to the bereaved families.

Expressing serious concern over Saturday’s killings in Shopian, the CPI (M) Secretary and MLA Kulgam M Y Tarigami described the incident as highly condemnable, unfortunate and painful.

Tarigami urged the forces to exercise maximum restraint while dealing with the protestors, as restraint would help contribute to peace and tranquility.

Offering deepest condolences to the bereaved families, Tarigami appealed to the youth to maintain peace.

The President of the J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), G A Mir, also strongly condemned the firing at Ganowpora Shopian in which two people lost their lives, and described the incident as highly painful.

 “The killing of civilians is detrimental to peace and exposes the tall claims of the centre and the state governments who say that the situation is back to normal,

 “The situation is more serious that it was before,” Mir said.

 “The ruling PDP-BJP alliance must wake up and take effective measures to restore peace rather than make tall claims about the situation, which is out control,” Mir said.

Expressing his sympathy to the bereaved families, and stressing that the killing of innocent people, in any form, was highly condemnable, Mir also made a fervent appeal to people, especially the youth, not to confront or pelt stones on security forces, as such actions on their part would invite action by them. ‘This is obviously not in the interest of peace,” Mir said. “Rather, it will be detrimental to peace and tranquility in Valley.”

Mir urged the forces to exercise maximum restraint while dealing with the protestors, as “restraint by them will certainly contribute to peace and tranquility.”

Former agriculture minister and the president of the Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN) Ghulam Hassan Mir also condemned the civilian killings in Shopian, terming them as unfortunate, and demanded that the government put an immediate end to such incidents in Kashmir.

Internet speed reduced, remains suspended in Shopian, Pulwama

Authorities on Saturday ordered mobile telecom companies to reduce 4G and 3G internet speed to 2G speed with immediate effect across the Kashmir Valley. A police official confirmed that the order has been communicated by IGP Kashmir to the mobile companies and they have been asked to ensure that the speed does not exceed 128kbps.

Meanwhile, mobile Internet service continued to remain suspended for the fourth consecutive day today in twin districts of Pulwama and Shopian, causing inconvenience to the people, particularly students and job aspirants.

A group of students said that they were facing massive problems in submitting online applications for jobs and academic courses.

The students urged the concerned authorities to restore the service as soon as possible.

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