Ibni-E-Umer Shopian, Sep 11: A 27-year-old youth was killed and two others injured when CRPF men allegedly opened unprovoked fire in Gagren area of Shopian on Wednesday. Eyewitnesses said some youth were sitting in front of a shop in Gagren area when CRPF men of 14th bn opened unprovoked fire on them. “In the CRPF firing, a 27 year old school bus driver identified as Mohammad Rafi Rather son of Ghulam Qadir Rather of Bona Saidapora, Shopian was killed and two others injured,” they said. They said the injured were shifted to Srinagar hospital for specialized treatment. The killing triggered fresh protests in the area with people taking to roads and staging massive anti-CRPF and anti- government demonstrations. Chanting pro-freedom, pro- Islamic and anti-India slogans, the protestors were demanding removal of CRPF camp from the area. “Within four days, the CRPF men stationed in Gagren camp have killed five innocent youth. In 2004 an innocent civilian Firdous Ahmed Ganai of New Colony Shopian was killed by CRPF personnel stationed camp in without any provocation. The government should remove the camp so that innocent killings are stopped,” they said. The youth took to roads at many places in the Shopian town and clashed with police and CRPF men, who were deployed in strength. Over half a dozen people were injured in the clashes during which cops lobbed tear smoke shells and resorted to heavy baton charge to disperse the protestors. After the clashes, curfew was re- imposed in Shopian. CRPF spokesperson Kishore Prasad, however, denied involvement of CRPF men in Rather’s killing. A police spokesman said according to initial reports Rafiq Ahmad Rather of Bun Sadpora was brought dead to Memandar hospital. “The body was shifted to District Hospital Shopian, where doctors confirmed his death”. He said police is looking into the incident. “Two persons identified as Manzoor Ahmad Mir son of Ghulam Hassan of Gagren and Afiya Jan daughter of Abdul Majid Mir of Mimandar have also got injured and were shifted to SMHS Srinagar”. The spokesman said police has registered a case and investigations are going on. Deputy Commissioner Shopian Bashir Ahmad Bhat said preliminary reports suggest that CRPF men fired pellets and one of them hit Rather, causing his death.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 05:15:40 +0000
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