A Shamyana was set on fire, eight motorcycles and six Tractors were completely damaged on Saturday by government forces in Chandangam village of district Pulwama to foil a pro-freedom rally. Chandangam, village of Pulwama was to host a pro-freedom rally for which local people had erected a large Shamyana.
“Policemen came and set the Shamyana on fire and to spread a reign of terror they damaged eight motorbikes of the volunteers and six Tractors used for ferrying necessary items required for the rally,” locals alleged.They said that people around were also ruthlessly beaten by the men in uniform. Pertinently, government forces earlier in the day did not allow the same kind of rally at Chee village of Anantnag district by setting Shamyana on fire.
Angry protesters on Saturday torched an abandoned police post in Wagoora area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Saturday. Enraged at the killing of a local youth Danish Ahmad, the protesters torched the police post and ransacked it. The building was partially gutted in the fire, reports said.
Deliberate shelling on hospitals barbaric: DAK
Shocked over “deliberate” teargas shelling on hospitals, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) Saturday said that these are acts of utmost savagery. While condemning these barbaric attacks on medical facilities in emergency situation, President DAK Dr Nisar ul Hassan in a statement said these attacks disrupt the delivery of medical services and endanger care providers at a time when they are needed most.
“Attacks on medical facilities are not only blatant violation of international humanitarian law but they deprive injured persons of urgently needed medical care. These systematic attacks on crucial life-saving assets, at this point of time are putting the lives of sick and wounded at serious risk,” he said adding “There can be no justification for targeting medical facilities at any time.”
The statement said that yesterday, teargas shells were fired by security forces on people who had assembled in SMHS hospital to offer funeral prayers of a deceased which worsened the condition of admitted patients and made the working of doctors difficult. In another incident, forces resorted to aerial firing and fired tear gas shells inside trauma hospital of Kangan. In Chadoora, forces barged into hospital and beat staff and vandalized the hospital property. Last month, forces had resorted to similar shelling inside the premises of SMHS hospital.
“These repeated attacks on vital lifelines leave patients no choice but to flee,” Dr Nisar said adding “There is no excuse for deliberately targeting hospital after hospital.”He said that the latest string of attacks on medical facilities appears to be part of a pattern to target medics and hospitals. “It appears to have become a new norm,” Dr Nisar concluded.
