Two injured in firing at Pulwama security checkpost: Incident highlights perils of travelling in Jammu and Kashmir

On Saturday evening, security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama fired at three bike-borne youth when they failed to stop after they were signalled to do so. The incident occurred in the Bandzoo village of the district. Two persons who were riding pillion were wounded, with the condition of one of them being critical. The incident highlights the perils that people face while travelling in Kashmir, as cordon and search operations (CASOs) and checking during routine patrols have become common. [caption id=“attachment_6361691” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Mohammad Ismael, uncle of Shahid Farooq Bhat, who was injured Saturday in army firing. Image: Nisar-ul-Haq[/caption] On the Bandzoo road, patrolling by security forces is routine, with the deployment starting in the late afternoon. Eyewitnesses said that on Saturday, before the three bike-borne youth could ride past the last few men patrolling the road, they were fired upon. One of them, Shahid Farooq Bhat, was hit by a bullet in the abdomen, and is now under intensive care treatment at the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital, said his uncle Mohammad Ismael. “Shahid was sitting in the middle (among the three persons on the bike) and a bullet appears to have pierced another boy’s body and hit him in the abdomen. His kidney has been removed,” he said. A fruit vendor, who did not wish to be named, said that he heard several gunshots and saw the youth being fired upon from a close range. He said that after the firing, he felt “terrified,” and wrapped up his fruits and headed home early. After the firing, Fayaz Ahmad Malik, who was heading to his shop at Pulwama from his orchard in Budzoo, said he heard several gunshots, and then saw the youth fall from the bike. “I ran back and waited at my orchard. It was only late in the evening, when the deployment was lifted, that I headed home,” he said. According to Shahid’s family members, he had left home in the afternoon to play with his friends at a sports stadium in Pulwama. It was in the evening that they learnt that he had been fired upon. The police have registered a case pertaining to the incident and investigation has begun, said senior superintendent of police, Pulwama, Chandan Kohli. However Ismael, Shahid’s uncle, said, “It is unlikely that the police will initiate any action against the army. Rather, they will blame the boys, as has been the routine in Kashmir.” Last week, when Abdul Hamid of Pulwama’s Naira area was leaving with his wife and child to his in-laws’ house in Tenghar, he was stopped on the road by a large number of security personnel. They had already surrounded some houses in the area after information that a militant was holed up in a house. Hamid and his family were not allowed to move, and were made to wait on the road outside their house for several hours before the cordon and search operation was lifted in the evening. Hamid said, “When we went back to the house, it had been ransacked. The household items were strewn around, and the floor was covered in mud." [caption id=“attachment_6361701” align=“alignright” width=“380”]  Family members of Shahid Farooq Bhat. Image: Nisar-ul-Haq[/caption] Abdul Aziz, 60, recalled a cordon and search operation which was laid at Niara. He said, “At that time, all our rights ceased to exist. No movement of traffic was allowed on the roads. I went to a neighbour’s house and returned home only when the operation was over.” In south Kashmir, forces have been deployed in increased numbers in the wake of a steady number of youth joining the militant ranks. Due to cordon and search operations, normal life often comes to a grinding halt. Travelling at night is particularly fraught with risks, as the forces ask people to turn off the headlights till the motorists or bikers are out of their sight. In Pulwama, cordons are laid for several villages in a single day. This affects people’s ability to commute. An elderly man, Ghulam Mohammad, who hails from Prichoo, said that frequent checks and curbs put the people through hassles. “Due to the large presence of security forces on the roads at night, we mostly try not to venture out of our houses. A few days back, I couldn’t go to the mosque to offer morning prayers due to the large presence of forces on the road,” he said. Hamid said, “It is due to the impunity enjoyed by the armed forces under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that people’s rights for hassle-free travel take a backseat.” The SSP, Pulwama, however, said that during the checking and cordons, security forces ensure that the people are not put through any inconvenience.