- Searched over 700 houses in 12 hours, arrested 44 persons, seized Pak and Chinese flags
- After Baramulla, ‘arrest drives’ launched in Kupwara, Old Srinagar areas
- Clashes reported from some areas amid Valley-wide hartal
- 11 members of a family detained in Kupwara village
- Aerial firing in Pulwama to foil freedom rally
- Nocturnal raids at Parimpora
- Army on Baramulla siege
- Women stage protests
A day after a joint party of police, CRPF and army detained at least 44 people in a 12-hour-long search operation in Baramulla district, a similar exercise was held in Kupwara district where at least 27 people, including 11 members of a single family, were detained, triggering massive protests in the area, officials and witnesses said on Tuesday. Forces also foiled freedom rallies in South and Central Kashmir districts, triggering violent clashes in which at least 15 youth sustained injuries.
Residents of Kralpora and Beighpora in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district said that police, paramilitary CRPF and the army conducted a joint search operation in the twin villages. “The search operation started at 5 am and lasted till 12 noon,” the residents said. They said forces conducted door-to-door searches, triggering panic among the inmates.
“At least 27 people were detained which include 70-year-old Ghulam Muhammad Lone and his two sons. 11 members from a single family were also detained,” the residents said. They said the seven-hour-long crackdown in the area triggered protests in which children and women participated. Residents said the forces resorted to teargas shelling to disperse the protesters, who were demanding immediate release of the detained persons.
Similar reports poured in from Safa Kadal area of old Srinagar. Residents of Malik Sahib Safa Kadal said a joint team of police and CRPF cordoned the area at 5 am and carried out a search operation which continued till 4 pm.
“Forces ransacked many houses and also damaged several vehicles. At least seven youth were detained from the area,” a group of residents alleged. They said forces’ action later triggered massive protests and clashes. “During the search operation, nobody was allowed to enter or leave the area,” the residents said.
A senior Army official admitted that they are assisting police in carrying out a “mutually agreed exercise to ensure normalcy.”
“We (Army), however, don’t operate in the Srinagar city,” he said.
Reports from Parimpora on Srinagar outskirts said forces fired dozens of teargas shells in the area during nocturnal raids, giving sleepless night to people. “Forces also broke windowpanes of many residential houses and detained a few youth during the raids,” they said. A women’s rally was held at New Theed Harwan against the ‘forces’ atrocities’, reports said.
Police seeks list of injured from hospitals ‘for official purposes’
Police have asked authorities of hospitals in Srinagar to provide list of persons who were injured during the ongoing uprising in Kashmir—a move that has left the wounded persons in a state of panic.
Sources told Kashmir Post that police has asked hospitals to submit the list of all injured persons, including their names and addresses and injury details, for ‘official purposes’.
“We received a letter from intelligence wing of police seeking details of victims along with their residence(s) and the nature and gravity of their injury,” sources at Srinagar’s general specialty SMHS hospital said.
As the news of police inquiring about the injured spread, many victims, according to hospital authorities, were gripped by anxiety and fear. “Many of the injured including the pellet victims have started missing the follow-ups and are clearly telling us that they will ‘go somewhere else’,” a doctor at SMHS Hospital said.
Although the hospital authorities brushed the allegations of police persecution aside and said that the exercise was meant to keep a handy record of injuries for ‘official purposes’, the victims fear the worst.
Asif Hussain (name changed on request), a pellet victim from Pulwama, who lost vision in one eye, fears that the police move was aimed to zero-in on the injured.
“When we were in hospital, men working for police’s intelligence wing used to pose as volunteers to get our real names and addresses,” he said. “Now they are asking doctors to reveal our details.”
Another pellet victim, who refused to divulge his name and who had come for a follow-up for his pellet-hit eye said he would seek treatment ‘elsewhere’ and not at SMHS Hospital. “I will go to a private clinic. I do not want to land in trouble,” he said.
A senior police officer, wishing not to be named, said the CID wing of police always compiles the list of injured people and those who are killed. “Under police protocol, it is mandatory. We have sought list from various hospital authorities in this regard,” he confirmed.
Police further said Chief Minister’s office was ‘likely to seek the list’ of people seriously injured in the ongoing uprising to “finalize cases for compensation after inquiring about them at the individual level.” Asked whether there was a communication about ‘compensation’ from CM’s Secretariat, senior officials replied in negative.
“There is none (communication) as of now but we have to be ready with all the details,” he said.
As a matter of practice to protect the identity of pellet victims, SMHS Hospital had initiated a practice of keeping the hospital records and files with the departments and keeping only an ‘ID number’ with the patient. “This kept the patients’ name, address and injury details away from curious onlookers and miscreants,” senior doctors at SMHS Hospital said. “However, we are being asked to reveal these confidential details now,” he said.
Freedom Rallies Foiled
Government forces resorted to teargas shelling to foil a proposed freedom march in Chadoora town of Budgam district. Reports said dozens of people assembled in Nagam Chowk and staged a rally on the call of resistance leadership. However, forces rushed to the village and resorted to teargas shelling to disperse the people. Reports said army has also been deployed in the village.
Locals said five people were detained while an elderly man, identified as Ghulam Qadir, was thrashed by the forces. Reports said forces allegedly resorted to vandalism in Dalipora area of Nagam.
Hundreds of women on took part in a pro-freedom rally in Kulgam district of South Kashmir. Witnesses said women, led by Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) leaders, attended the rally in Yaripora village of the district.
Clashes broke out at Ruhmoo village of Pulwama where forces fired tear-gas shells. Clashes also broke out at Arihal and Moolo, Chitragam. A youth Rayees Ahmed of Ruhomoo sustained injuries and was later shifted to Srinagar.
Police Version
According to a statement issued by Zonal Police Headquarters Kashmir, no untoward incident was reported from any part of Kashmir on Tuesday. “Shops and other business establishments were open while transport also plied on all routes in Kashmir,” it said.
Meanwhile, the statement said that “continuing its action against the persons involved in disrupting the public order in different parts of Kashmir, police arrested 122 such individuals during past 24 hours.”
