2 youth killed, 6 injured in army firing in Shopian village

Shopian: Two civilians were killed and six others injured after army opened fire on protesters in Ganowpora village of South Kashmir’s Shopian district on Saturday. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti called up Defence Minister Nirmala S Sitharaman and expressed anguish over the civilian killings to her. The Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani the Hurriyat Conference (G) Chairman, Mirwaiz Molvi Umer Farooq the Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman and Yaseen Malik the JKLF Chairman have called for valley wide shutdown against civil killings in Shopian.Meanwhile Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Baseer Ahmed Khan has order a judicial probe into the killings and the district administration in Srinagar has imposed restriction in five police station areas in Srinagar city
Reports said that army personnel arrived at Ganowpora village to remove a banner. As the army tried to remove the banner, a group of youth pelted stones on them. The army according to eyewitnesses retaliated with firing. Witnesses added that army fired upon youth directly resulting in the injuries of at least 11 persons. Among the injured three youth succumbed to the injuries in the hospital.
Sources at District Hospital Pulwama said that four injured were brought to the facility for treatment. “One of injured, identified as Javid Ahmad Bhat (20) of Balpora, was brought to the hospital with critical head injury. He succumbed at the facility,” said a source.
Medical Superintendent District Hospital Pulwama Dr Rashid Parra confirmed the death of Bhat. They said that another youth, identified as Suhail Ahmed (19) of Ganowpora, was shifted to PHC Rajpora where he was declared dead on arrival.
The killings sparked massive stone-pelting near police station Pulwama. Police used tear-smoke shells to disperse the agitated youth. As per eyewitnesses, a banner led to the killing of these three budding Kashmiri youth.
Locals at Ganowpora Shopian had hoisted a long banner with Quranic verses and pro-freedom slogans yesterday-when people observed a complete shutdown on the eve of India’s 69th Republic Day.
Eyewitnesses said that everything was normal in the village, however, the emergence of army vehicles created panic there. The soldiers shortly after alighting from the vehicles, tried to remove that banner that was hung in air between the middle of the road.
As soldiers were removing the banner, some agitated youth pelted stones on them. However, the soldiers retaliated with direct firing on the youth, leaving at least 11 of them injured.
“It was heart wrenching to see women wailing and beating their chest. The injured youth were lying on the road for quite some time as people were still running for cover,” said an eyewitness.
As the people gathered in large number, army soldiers left the area while people shifted the injured to District Hospital Shopian and Pulwama.
Shortly after the killing of these youth, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Baseer Ahmed Khan ordered the magisterial probe. He said that District Development Commissioner Shopian has been directed to complete the probe within two weeks time. A police official said that a case against Army has been registered.
Meanwhile, Joint Resistance Leadership has called for valley wide shutdown against these killings on Sunday.
Opposition leader Omar Abdullah asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to condemn the civilian killings in Shopian as well when she has been condemning the suicide bombing attack in Kabul.
“The violence in Kabul is tragic. It’s even more unfortunate when you can find words here & have none for the civilians killed in Shopian Saturday @MehboobaMufti. You need to sort out the people managing your account,” Omar Abdullah Tweeted.
In the aftermath of killing of two civilians in a shoot-out at Ganowpora village of Shopian district the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti Saturday evening spoke to Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman and expressed anguish over the loss of lives in the incident.
The Chief Minister said every civilian killing, notwithstanding how erroneously made, impairs the political process in the State which has been put on track after hard work by all political parties.
The Defence Minister assured the Chief Minister that she would seek a detailed report in this regard and would impress upon the field formations that mechanisms put in place are strictly adhered to so that such incidents do not recur in future.
Earlier, the Chief Minister directed the district administration to conduct a probe into the incident and come up with findings at the earliest. Mehbooba Mufti has conveyed her sympathies with the bereaved families.
District Magistrate Srinagar, Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, in an official press release has said that restrictions under Section 144 CrPC will remain imposed within the territorial jurisdictions of Khanyar, Rainawari, Nowhatta, Safakadal and MR Gunj police stations of the district on Sunday (28 January).
‘There will also be partial restrictions within the territorial jurisdictions of Maisuma and Kralkhud police stations of the district. The restrictions have been imposed as a precautionary measure to avoid any untoward incident’, the statement reads