Army firing kills 5 protesters in Valley

Army firing kills 5 protesters in Valley
NAZIR MASOODI & MIR EHSAN

HYGAM, SOPORE, FEBRUARY 15: Armymen fired on a crowd of over 6,000 people protesting against an alleged custodial killing on the Sriagar-Baramulla National Highway this afternoon, killing five, including two women, and injuring at least 30.

The protesters were blocking the highway to protest against the `killing' of Jaleel Ahmad shah who was allegedly picked by the Special Operation Group of the police and security forces. Eyewitnesses say the armymen opened fire when the crowd blocked the army convoy. One of the women who died is a first-year BA student and the other a housewife.

Police have registered a case of murder against the army at Sopore police station. The Jammu and Kashmir Government has ordered a judicial inquiry and District and Session Judge Baramulla has been appointed as inquiry officer. Army, however, has refused to comment on the incident.

Dilbagh Singh, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Baramulla, toldThe Indian Express that they have registered a murder case against thearmy. ``Police were persuading the protesters when the armymen fired on them. There was no provocation from the crowd. They were simply asking for the handing over of a body. But one army officer got furious and asked his men to fire at them,'' the DIG said. He said one policemen was also injured in the firing.

It was the delay in handing over the body which provoked the people totake to the streets. ``We took out a peaceful procession against the killing and delay in handing over of body. It was at 12.30pm when an army officer asked his troops to fire at us since we refused to allow the convoy to proceed unless the body was handed over to us,'' said Reyaz Ahmad, a Hygam resident.

Jaleel Ahmad Shah, allegedly a supporter of militants, was reporting at the Tarzu army camp on every Sunday since as per the Army's instructions. He was allegedly picked up by a joint party of SOG and security forces two days ago. Residents said they heard about the killing this morning.

Naza, his 13-year-old younger sister, said: ``If he was a militant, why would he religiously report at the army camp on every Sunday. He was picked up and killed in custody,'' she said. Her elder sister Nusrat, 20, has been seriously injured in the firing and moved to a Srinagar hospital.

A police spokesman, however, said Shah was the district commander ofHarkatul Jehad-e-Islami for Pattan-Sopore belt and was ``killed in aretaliatory action when he fired at a patrol party of the SOG and securityforces in the jungle area of Juhama, Baramulla.'' He said Shah was wanted in a number of cases of causing explosions and killing civilians.

The All Party Hurriyat Conference has condemned the firing and has called for a two-day strike. Separatist leader Nayeem Ahmad Khahan reached the village later this afternoon, addressed a gathering of mourners and asked them to raise slogans against the ``repression and brutal killing of civilians.''