Protests over the alleged molestation bid of a Rashtriya Rifles jawan in Kupwara continued to rage, even as the girl involved denied the allegation and accused a few local youngsters of heckling her.
Reports of the molestation bid had on Tuesday triggered a demonstration in Kupwara , which led to the death of two protesters in Army firing after the mob tried to ransack a picket.
By Wednesday , the protests and violence had intensified in Kupwara and Srinagar, with the death toll in Army firing rising to four. Mobs also set two police stations in Langate and Kupwara on fire, with the clashes leaving around 100 policemen and 32 protesters injured. The police post in Langate was attacked by a mob of over 2,000 protesters, causing extensive damage to the building, cops said.Two CRPF personnel, identified as head constable Rajesh Verma and constable Mukesh Mishra, were reported to be in a serious condition. Street battles in downtown Srinagar led to the imposition of a curfew in old city .
The clashes continued despite the girl's denial that a molestation bid had occurred at all. Her statement that local youngsters had harassed her first and then begun rioting against the police, which eventually led to the Army firing, seemed to have had no effect at all.
In a widely circulated YouTube video interview, the girl is heard saying a Kashmiri student had heckled her, snatched her bag and slapped her.“Suddenly , several boys gathered. He said he would not return my bag and started abusing me,“ she's heard saying. “He instigated other boys to create trouble,“ the girl adds. Defence spokesperson Col Manish Kumar said the girl's revelation “exposed the malicious intent of the perpetrators“. The video clearly implicates local youth and shows how false propaganda resulted in the massive protests, he added.
Amid the unrest, Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti met defence minister Manohar Parrikar in Delhi, demanding a time-bound inquiry into the Handwara firing. Parrikar assured her that the incident would be investigated. Talking to the media after the meeting, Mehbooba said, “Such incidents shake public confidence and must not happen in the future.“
The two people killed on Wednesday were identified as Jahangir Ahmad Wani, who was hit by a tear gas shell in Drugmulla, and 50-year-old Raja Begum, hit in the head in Srinagar. Clashes erupted at Langate in Kupwara when her body arrived. Nayeem Bhat, a state-level under-19 cricketer, and Mohammad Iqbal had died on Tuesday .
The police have suspended an assistant sub-inspector for failing to control the first wave of protest. The Kupwara DM said it was because of “negligence of duty“.
Reports of the molestation bid had on Tuesday triggered a demonstration in Kupwara , which led to the death of two protesters in Army firing after the mob tried to ransack a picket.
By Wednesday , the protests and violence had intensified in Kupwara and Srinagar, with the death toll in Army firing rising to four. Mobs also set two police stations in Langate and Kupwara on fire, with the clashes leaving around 100 policemen and 32 protesters injured. The police post in Langate was attacked by a mob of over 2,000 protesters, causing extensive damage to the building, cops said.Two CRPF personnel, identified as head constable Rajesh Verma and constable Mukesh Mishra, were reported to be in a serious condition. Street battles in downtown Srinagar led to the imposition of a curfew in old city .
The clashes continued despite the girl's denial that a molestation bid had occurred at all. Her statement that local youngsters had harassed her first and then begun rioting against the police, which eventually led to the Army firing, seemed to have had no effect at all.
In a widely circulated YouTube video interview, the girl is heard saying a Kashmiri student had heckled her, snatched her bag and slapped her.“Suddenly , several boys gathered. He said he would not return my bag and started abusing me,“ she's heard saying. “He instigated other boys to create trouble,“ the girl adds. Defence spokesperson Col Manish Kumar said the girl's revelation “exposed the malicious intent of the perpetrators“. The video clearly implicates local youth and shows how false propaganda resulted in the massive protests, he added.
Amid the unrest, Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti met defence minister Manohar Parrikar in Delhi, demanding a time-bound inquiry into the Handwara firing. Parrikar assured her that the incident would be investigated. Talking to the media after the meeting, Mehbooba said, “Such incidents shake public confidence and must not happen in the future.“
The two people killed on Wednesday were identified as Jahangir Ahmad Wani, who was hit by a tear gas shell in Drugmulla, and 50-year-old Raja Begum, hit in the head in Srinagar. Clashes erupted at Langate in Kupwara when her body arrived. Nayeem Bhat, a state-level under-19 cricketer, and Mohammad Iqbal had died on Tuesday .
The police have suspended an assistant sub-inspector for failing to control the first wave of protest. The Kupwara DM said it was because of “negligence of duty“.
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