Villagers allege army’s excesses during crackdown in Kulgam

Hurriyat condemns Army action; nocturnal raids
Several people, including a woman, were injured after Army allegedly thrashed locals during a crackdown in Howur Mishpora village of this south Kashmir district.
villagers allege Army excesses dring crackdown in kulgamLater protests erupted against the ‘highhandedness’ injuring some others as well.
Police has however called the allegations of the villagers baseless, “Nobody was beaten by the Army,” SP Kulgam, Mumtaz Ahmad said.
Locals said Army cordoned off Howur, Mishpora village at about 4 A.M Monday morning.
The villagers said announcements were made asking them to come out of their houses.
“When we came out Army started to beat us, including women, without any provocation.” alleged the locals. They said several people received minor injuries while a 40-year-old woman Safiya Bano was seriously wounded.
Bano is being treated at Anantnag district hospital for her injuries. Agitated with the Army highhandedness the people held protest demonstrations as the troopers were leaving the village.
Army fired shots in the air to quell the protests; however the villagers were joined by people from adjoining area fuelling the protests further.
Police had to rush to the spot and use tear smoke shells and aerial firing to disperse the protesting villagers.
The area remained tense throughout the day and a complete shutdown was observed.
Meanwhile Hurriyat (G) condemned the Army action and said, “Forces are very frustrated and that is the reason they are harassing and using excessive force against the common people of Kashmir,” read a Hurriyat (G) statement.
The statement further read that harassing a common man on the gun point is not any kind of bravery,  “these cruelties have neither deterred us in the past and nor will it stop us to achieve our goal in the future also.”
Hurriyat (M) spokesman while condemning the harassment of people by the forces in Redwani Kulgam through “repeated crackdowns and other coercive means said the use of force to curb public protest against such excesses clearly indicates that terrorizing Kashmiris to submission is a set and continuous policy of the ruling regime.”
Terming the nocturnal raids at houses of the supporters of Kashmir struggle in Srinagar and other areas of the valley and arrest of youth including students as retributive tactics of the government, the spokesman in a statement strongly condemned it.
Previous post ‘PDP-BJP pact a reason for youth joining militancy’
Next post Over 2.6 lakh kanal forest land occupied by Bureaucrats and Politicians