[Reader-list] Fresh clashes rock Valley, mob targets Sikh locality

[Aditya Raj Kaul]

*The latest 'insider truth' is here for all to see. The fascist forces and
sidelined separatist elements are targetting innocent minorities.

Fresh clashes rock Valley, mob targets Sikh locality*
*Indian Express*
*June 05, 2009 *

*Srinagar *A predominantly Sikh neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city
was targeted by a mob as fresh protests and a strike triggered by the
alleged rape and murder of two women in Shopian continued to cripple life in
large parts of the Valley for the fourth consecutive day.

A group of people ransacked 20 houses at Rangreth, breaking window panes and
damaging other property on Wednesday evening. Paramjit Kaur, whose house was
among those targeted, said: “It happened around 7.45 pm on Wednesday when a
group of people first started hurling stones. They broke our gate and
destroyed everything that came their way. I along with my children hid in
the attic to save ourselves from the frenzied mob.”

“This had never happened in the past 20 years,” said Jaspal Singh, an
engineer whose house, too, was ransacked. A few cars were also damaged by
the mob.

Locals said trouble began when a group of protesters enforcing the strike
stopped a car being driven by a Sikh. They damaged the car following which
there was a scuffle, in which one of the protesters was injured. This was
followed by the violence at Rangreth.

The authorities reached the area to control the situation. “We held a
meeting with the Muslim and Sikh residents and later a peace march was taken
out by both of the communities,” said Budgam Deputy Commissioner Mohammad
Rafi. On Thursday, hundreds of Muslim women and men from nearby areas
thronged Rangreth and assured the Sikhs of their safety.

Meanwhile, fresh clashes between protesters and the police broke out in
Srinagar and Shopian districts after news spread about the death of a
protester. Nisar Ahmad, 25, who was injured during protests on Monday, died
at a hospital on Thursday morning. At least 42 people were injured in the
fresh clashes.

*editor at expressindia.com*