[Reader-list] Police brutalize Hazratbal residents

[SJabbar]

Thanks for this detailed account as well as the one on Milad.


On 20/08/10 3:45 PM, "Aditya Raj Baul" <adityarajbaul at gmail.com> wrote:

> Police brutalize Hazratbal residents

Cops Fire On Devotees, Ransack Houses,
> Abuse SHO

FAHEEM
> ASLAM
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2010/Aug/20/police-brutalize-hazratba
> l-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 ³temporarily ended² following their
> hectic
negotiations with the government.

ŒPLAYING CARDS RECOVERED¹:
³After
> the stalemate ended, we visited the shrine to be a part of its
cleaning
> process,² said the residents. ³But to our shock, we recovered
a set of playing
> cards from the upper gallery of the shrine.²
The resident accused the
> policemen of armed police, manning the
shrine, of playing cards there. ³We can
> tolerate anything but not any
unethical activity inside the shrine,² 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.
³Police 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,² said Shams, a resident. ³The
government
> must take action against the policemen involved in the
heinous crime. The
> matter must be probed thoroughly.²
Police also beat up several people
> including women in Dhobi Mohalla
and ransacked many houses, triggering a
> scuffle. ³We were beaten
ruthlessly,² said the residents. ³Men of armed police
> barged into our
houses and started beating women and children. Many
> protesters
sustained injuries.² Windowpanes of several vehicles were also
> broken.
On Thursday, the stalemate ³temporarily ended² when the government,
> in
a fresh round of talks with the residents, agreed to fulfill their
demands
> including transfer of policemen involved in Saturday¹s police
action and
> removal of barracks from the shrine complex in a phased
manner.
³Though 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,² the residents
> said.
On Wednesday, the senior superintendent of police (Srinagar),
> Ashiq
Bukhari, had ³added fuel to the fire² 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 Board¹s announcement
that
> it would clean the shrine to resume the prayers. While no local
was with the
> Board¹s announcement, the SSP¹s diktat and the
announcement had infuriated the
> residents.

COPS ŒABUSE¹ 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,
³The 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.²
The official
> said the armed cops were ³frustrated² on seeing that the
locals won by getting
> them transferred from the area. ³It is sheer
frustration on part of the armed
> cops. They attacked SHO¹s vehicle as
well. We request the government to get
> the matter probed,² 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. ³They 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,² the
spokesman
> said.
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