Mehbooba barred from visiting Shopian PDP Seeks FIR Against CRPF Shopian, Sep 11: The opposition Peoples Democratic Party Wednesday asked the State government to register FIR against paramilitary CRPF men for the killing of civilians in Gagran village of Shopian district last Saturday. The party demanded shifting of the CRPF camp from the village whose men were involved in firing on the innocent youth.“We are giving two days time to the government to register FIR against CRPFin the civilian killings,” said PDP president Mehbooba Mufti addressing a press conference here after she was disallowed to visit Shopian today.Demanding shifting of the Gagran CRPF camp, Mehbooba said: “There are thousands of students including around 2000 girl students studying in the college in the vicinity of the camp. It should be removed from there.”Four youth were killed in CRPF firing at Gagran in Shopian last Saturday. On Monday, police said three out of four youth - Tawseef Ahmad Bhat of Baba Mohalla Shopian, Muhammad Yousuf Sofi of Durpora, Zainapora, Shopian and Tariq Ahmad Mir of Wukai, Kulgam – were civilians and had no record of militancy. The police claimed that the fourth slain person was a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant.Mehbooba said she was only raising the demand of people and the families of slain youth in Shopian. “Otherwise I havelost faith in this government and the inquiries ordered by it from time to time,”said Mehbooba who represents Wachi constituency of Shopian in State Assembly.The PDP chief said if the demands were not met, they would do “whatever possible” to force the government to act.“This is the least what they (government) can do. If they can registerthe FIR from CRPF side why aren’t they responding to the families’ demand who lost their sons?” Mehbooba asked.She said police has already cleared that three killed persons were civilians. “There are conflicting reports about the fourth killing,” she said.Earlier Mehbooba was stopped in Pulwama when she was on way to Shopian.“This government doesn’t care. And when we try to reach out to people, we are stopped,” she said.Attacking Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba said he was acting like a “trade union leader” who only knows the art of putting forth demands before New Delhi, be it on the issue of AFSPA revocation or justice for killings of civilians.“Ever since the National Conference-Congress coalition came to power, Kashmiri youth have become target of forces’ guns. Maximum numbers of persons killed in Kashmir during Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s tenure have been innocent youth. It (killings) has become business for the government and its touts,” Mehbooba alleged.She accused the government of alienating Kashmiri youth. “There is a method to this madness and an atmosphere is being created in Kashmir, particularly south Kashmir,” she said.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 01:58:36 +0000