[Reader-list] Police brutalize Hazratbal residents

[Aditya Raj Baul]

Police brutalize Hazratbal residents

Cops Fire On Devotees, Ransack Houses, Abuse SHO

FAHEEM ASLAM
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2010/Aug/20/police-brutalize-hazratbal-residents-21.asp

Srinagar, Aug 19: As if beating devotees inside the Hazratbal shrine
was not enough, police Thursday unleashed a reign of terror in the
area by firing upon the peaceful protesters and breaking windowpanes
of dozens of houses and vehicles. Police also cane charged the
protesters, injuring many of them.
The police action came barely a few minutes after the locals claimed
to have recovered playing cards inside the shrine and started raising
pro-freedom slogans there. The residents thronged the shrine after the
six-day long stalemate “temporarily ended” following their hectic
negotiations with the government.

‘PLAYING CARDS RECOVERED’:
“After the stalemate ended, we visited the shrine to be a part of its
cleaning process,” said the residents. “But to our shock, we recovered
a set of playing cards from the upper gallery of the shrine.”
The resident accused the policemen of armed police, manning the
shrine, of playing cards there. “We can tolerate anything but not any
unethical activity inside the shrine,” they said, raising pro-freedom
slogans from the shrine microphones.
As the news spread, police fired dozens of rounds on the protesters
outside the shrine to disperse them. No bullet injuries were however
reported. But minutes after the firing, policemen barged into
different localities with bamboo sticks and broke the windowpanes of
dozens of houses and vehicles. This scared the residents, particularly
women and children, who accused police of unleashing a reign of
terror.
“Police is meant to secure people and ensure their safety in times of
need. But here they are terrorizing people in this holy month of
Ramadan. It is highly condemnable,” said Shams, a resident. “The
government must take action against the policemen involved in the
heinous crime. The matter must be probed thoroughly.”
Police also beat up several people including women in Dhobi Mohalla
and ransacked many houses, triggering a scuffle. “We were beaten
ruthlessly,” said the residents. “Men of armed police barged into our
houses and started beating women and children. Many protesters
sustained injuries.” Windowpanes of several vehicles were also broken.
On Thursday, the stalemate “temporarily ended” when the government, in
a fresh round of talks with the residents, agreed to fulfill their
demands including transfer of policemen involved in Saturday’s police
action and removal of barracks from the shrine complex in a phased
manner.
“Though a majority of youth were not with the decision of phased
removal of barracks, but keeping in view the holy month of Ramadan,
the stalemate had to be ended. But the police terror followed and
aggravated the crisis,” the residents said.
On Wednesday, the senior superintendent of police (Srinagar), Ashiq
Bukhari, had “added fuel to the fire” by openly refusing to remove the
police barracks while the Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Meraj Ahmad
Kakroo, had sought time to meet the demand. On Thursday, strict curfew
was clamped in the area following Muslim Waqf Board’s announcement
that it would clean the shrine to resume the prayers. While no local
was with the Board’s announcement, the SSP’s diktat and the
announcement had infuriated the residents.

COPS ‘ABUSE’ SHO:
The station house officer of Police Station Nigeen was abused and his
vehicle attacked by personnel of armed police after he asked them not
to open fire on the protesters.
Witnesses said at least 30 personnel caught hold of the SHO and his
escort and stated hurling abuses at them. Confirming the armed police
action, a senior police official, insisting not to be named, said,
“The armed policemen tried to aim a Light Machine Gun at the
protesters. The SHO and his men caught hold of the LMG and aimed it in
the air following which over 100 rounds were used. The armed personnel
abused the SHO for saving the protesters. Had he not caught hold of
the gun, the armed cops would have killed scores of people.”
The official said the armed cops were “frustrated” on seeing that the
locals won by getting them transferred from the area. “It is sheer
frustration on part of the armed cops. They attacked SHO’s vehicle as
well. We request the government to get the matter probed,” he said.
According to sources, SHO Nigeen Hazratbal has registered and FIR
against the armed police for highhandedness.

NO PRAYERS FOR 6TH DAY:
Meanwhile no prayers were held in the shrine for the 6th consecutive
day. People continued to offer the five-time congregational prayers
either on road or inside their houses. This is for the second time in
the history that no prayers could be offered in the shrine. Earlier it
had happened during the month-long Hazratbal siege in 1993. The curbs
on prayers evoked severe criticism from different political and
non-political quarters.
Meanwhile, the area continued to be tense following police action on protesters.

POLICE SILENT:
No police officer agreed to speak on the issue. However, the entire
episode happened at a time when the Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar,
Meraj Ahmad Kakroo, was in Hazratbal to hold talks with the residents.

OFFICIAL VERSION
According to a spokesman of J&K Muslim Waqf Board, Gusul (cleaning)
ceremony of Asar-i-Sharief, Hazratbal was performed before Zuhar
prayers as per the agreement made earlier in presence of Deputy
Commissioner, Srinagar, Mehraj Ahmad Kakroo and Superintendent of
Police, Srinagar.
The ceremony was performed amidst Darood Khawani in which large number
of respectables and people of adjoining areas participated. On this
occasion, Vice Chairman, Muslim Waqf Board, M Y Qadri, Secretary of
Waqf Board and other Waqf officials were present.
The spokesman said during Gusul Khawani, some boys came down from the
balcony with two playing card leaves in their hands and attempted to
create confusion. “They also forced people to move out. Obviously,
this seems to be a deliberate attempt to deprive people from offering
prayers in the Dargah Sharief on one pretext or another pretext,” the
spokesman said.