KASHMIR – Violence erupted in Srinagar on Saturday as Indian securityforces fired shotgun pellets and tear gas at hundreds of people who hadcome to attend the funeral march of a man who was *run over by aparamilitary vehiclelink>*theprevious day.
Associated Press reported that the angry mourners were taking the body to agraveyard in defiance of a government order banning the assembly of overfour people when they were stopped by security personnel. Even as furtherprotests erupted, police took custody of the body and allowed only ahandful of the victim’s relatives to conduct the funeral.
Two youngsters – Younis Ahmad and Kaiser – were admitted to a city hospitalafter they were hit by the CRPF vehicle near Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta areaon Friday. “Kaiser, who had to be placed on life support, passed awayaround midnight,” said SKIMS medical superintendent Dr Farooq Jan.“Although Ahmad is also in a critical state, we are hopeful of hissurvival.”
Meanwhile, police said they have booked the CRPF driver under sections 279and 337 of the RPC for rash driving. They have also lodged a case againstunidentified stone-pelters for rioting and attempted murder in connectionwith the violence that erupted in the city on Friday.
Police said Ahmad and Kaiser were run over when scores of protesters beganshouting anti-establishment slogans and attacked security personnel outsideJamia Masjid after the Friday prayers. According to CRPF public relationsofficer Sanjay Sharma, the vehicle was carrying SS Yadav – thesecond-in-command of the 28 Battalion
” he said it was likely that somebody “might have come under the vehicle”in the heat of the moment.
Even as images and a video of the incident went viral on the social media,former chief minister Omar Abdullah took to Twitter to condemn theincident. “Earlier they tied people to jeeps & paraded them around villagesto deter protesters. Now they just drive their jeeps right over protesters.Is this your new SOP @MehboobaMufti sahiba? Ceasefire means no guns, so usejeeps?” he tweeted, along with a photograph of the deceased