Kashmiri youth succumbs to injuries after being run over by CRPF vehicle; 2 FIRs registered against security forces

A youth, who was injured after he was allegedly hit by a security forces vehicle during clashes between protesters and forces in Srinagar, died at a hospital on Saturday, prompting authorities in Jammu and Kashmir to suspended internet services in Srinagar and Budgam districts. The Jammu and Kashmir Police has registered two FIRs against CRPF’s Srinagar unit under Section 307 (attempt to murder), Section 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and Section 279 (rash driving) under the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), reported ANI. The security forces have also been booked under Sections 149, 152, 336 and 427 of the RPC. The Ranbir Penal Code is the equivalent of the Indian Penal Code in Jammu and Kashmir. Kaiser Bhat (21), a resident of the Fatehkadal area of Srinagar, was injured when a CRPF vehicle ploughed him down and injured another youth during the protests in the Nowhatta area of the city in Srinagar on Friday. The two injured youths were admitted to Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), in Srinagar, where Bhat succumbed to critical internal injuries early on Saturday. [caption id=“attachment_4492485” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Protesters gather around a CRPF vehicle as it runs over a man during a protest in Srinagar. AP[/caption] “Bhat succumbed to his injuries at the hospital around midnight,” a police official said. Protest turned violent After the Friday prayers culminated at the Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta on Friday, a group of youth started pelting stones on the security forces, the official said. Few of the protesters attacked a vehicle of the security forces which hit two of them, leaving them injured. Internet services in Srinagar and Budgam districts have been suspended as a precautionary measure, a police officer said. The speed of broadband internet connections has also been brought down to prevent uploading of provocative posts and pictures. Rail services between north Kashmir’s Baramulla and the Bannihal town in Jammu region were also suspended for the day. Reacting to the incident, former chief minister Omar Abdullah questioned if the no ceasefire meant “no guns, so use jeeps”. In a tweet on Friday, he said:

Earlier they tied people to the fronts of jeeps & paraded them around villages to deter protestors now they just drive their jeeps right over protestors. Is this your new SOP @MehboobaMufti sahiba? Ceasefire means no guns so use jeeps? https://t.co/42W6vGAPVi

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 1, 2018

However, the Jammu and Kashmir Police maintained that the two youths were part of a violent mob who were pelting stones at the vehicle and accused the the media of indulging in “ selective journalism”. “There is also a difference in presenting before the audience/readers/followers ‘a selective picture’ and not a ‘chain of pictures presenting the whole scene’,” the Jammu and Kashmir Police said in a statement on Twitter. The statement was in response to images of the youths being run over by security forces being circulated on social media.  Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari shared a video of the incident on Twitter while questioning of the government if it was the new SOP. He tweeted:

These pictures from #Srinagar downtown are very disturbing. This is horrible way to quell a protest. Government and #CRPF must explain. Is it the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Hope they survive. Pic courtesy #KashmirJournalistsHub pic.twitter.com/WrZ0ENgZbX

— Shujaat Bukhari (@bukharishujaat) June 1, 2018

Restrictions imposed Authorities on Saturday imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order. Curfew and restrictions have been imposed in seven police station areas of the city, a police official said. He said curfew has been imposed in the Nowhatta area of the city, while restrictions under Section 144 CrPc were in force in Rainawari, Safakadal, Khanyar, MR Gunj, Maisuma and Kralkhud police station areas of Srinagar. The separatists in the state had called for a general strike against civilian killings and desecration of the grave of Hizbul commander Sameer Tiger, allegedly by the security forces. While shops, other businesses remained closed and public transport remained off the roads at most places, three-wheelers and private transport were seen plying in the uptown and city outskirts. With inputs from agencies