Youth killed, girl injured after army opens fire on mob in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama

A youth was killed and two others, including a girl, were injured on Friday when army troops opened fire on a mob in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said. While locals alleged that troops of 55 Rashtriya Rifles opened fire when locals resisted their attempt to vandalise the house of militant Saju Mir in Nowpora village of Pulwama, police said the firing took place after a mob threw stones on army vehicles in the area. [caption id=“attachment_4235421” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption] The forces claimed that during a patrol by army personnel, a mob gathered there and started hurling stones, forcing them to resort to aerial firing after the crowd refused to yield despite a verbal warning. They then extricated themselves and continued with their patrol, he said. According to the police, a mob started throwing stones at army personnel in Nowpora of Pulwama district. As the stone-pelting became intense, army personnel allegedly opened fire in which two persons were injured, a police official said, adding Waqas Ahmad, 24, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital while Ruqaya Bano is undergoing treatment. One more civilian was reportedly injured, according to IANS. A defence spokesperson said, “The road at Nowpora was blocked due to three to four cars being parked on the wrong side. Army personnel got off their vehicle to request the drivers to move the cars.” On seeing the army personnel, a huge crowd gathered at the site and started throwing stones at them, the spokesperson said. “The troops cautioned the crowd verbally. However, the crowd turned violent and tried to overpower the troops. Army personnel resorted to aerial firing, extricated themselves and continued with their patrol,” he added. With inputs from agencies