JAMMU, Feb 4: In an incident related to Tuesday's clash between protesting Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) and the police at Rajinder park, People's League chairman Shabir Shah was assaulted at the Government Medical college by irate relatives of the injured.Shah, who had flown to Jammu from Srinagar, drove straight to the medical college on Tuesday afternoon to meet the persons injured in Army firing at Marwah and the Kashmiri Pandits injured in the lathi-charge. As he was about to enter the hospital, a group of agitated KPs gheroed and assaulted him.
Eyewitnesses said that he was heckled and pushed by the mob and later punched in his nose. A profusely bleeding Shah was saved from further assault by the security personnel who admitted to the hospital. His condition was reported stable.
However, Shah told The Indian Express that he nursed no grudge against the KPs as he suspected the attack to be the handiwork of government agents who who had intermingled with the mob. ``I know my Pandit brethren wouldnever resort to such an act,'' he said.
Writhing in pain Shah condemned the alleged unprovoked police lathi-charge on the KPs and blamed the National Conference Government for letting loose a reign of terror on the hapless community.
More than 20 Kashmiri Pandits, including senior community leaders, were seriously injured in the incident when the police allegedly resorted to unprovoked lathi-charge and tear-gassing on the demonstrators who had assembled in the Rajinder Park on the occasion of the Kriya ceremony of the 23 Pandits who were massacred at Wundhama on January 25.
The trouble started when about 5,000 KPs assembled at the venue at about 10 am to perform the 10th day Kriya of those killed in the massacre.
A huge posse of policemen cordoned off the venue even before the mourners arrived and as the crowd began to swell more policemen were rushed to the spot.
After the mass Puja was performed, senior Pandit leaders including the chairman of the All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference (ASKPC) A NVaishnavi, convenors of Panun Kashmir and Panun Kashmir Movement, Agnishekhar and Ashwini Kumar respectively, BJP leader Vaid Vishnu Dutt and president of the Hindu Raksha Samiti Romesh Arora addressed the mourners. Eyewitnesses said that as soon as the processionists reached the entrance of the Park, the police asked them to disperse. Some of the processionists tried to break into the police cordon which led to the clash and the police assault.
While Agnishekhar suffered multiple injuries, Ashwini suffered serious head injuries.
Agitated over injuries to some of their senior leaders, a group of protestors started pelting stones at the police. The pitched battle between the police and the processionists continued till 1.30 pm after which about 200 protestors courted arrest.
Some of the injured alleged that the police action was unprovoked.
``We had decided to court arrest when the police refused to let us take out a procession. But, when we reached the entrance, a posse of armed policemen rushedtowards us beating up any one who came in their way,'' one of the injured, Bharat Bhushan, said.
Another person wounded in the incident, P N Pandita, alleged that he was bashed up despite repeated pleas that he was not involved in stone-throwing. ``When the policemen started chasing the stone-throwing youths, I just stood there and was approached by a policemen. I told him that I was just a peaceful protestor and didn't throw stones but still he started hitting me with his lathi,'' he said.
Deputy Inspector General, Jammu range, S K Misra, who along with Deputy Commissioner Suresh Kumar rushed to the spot, said that he would inquire into the allegation of police high-handedness.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
