Pellet guns claim one more life in Valley; death toll increases to 78
SRINAGAR: As another day of mayhem, violence, fire and tears passed off in restive Kashmir, at least two more youth were killed and over 100 people were injured on Saturday.
The latest fatalities in security forces’ actions against protesters and stone-pelting mob took place in southern Shopian and Anantnag districts, a day after home minister, Rajnath Singh, stated that the civil unrest in the Valley would be brought under control soon.
Reports received here said that the security forces fired teargas canisters and pellet shotguns to break up the pro-freedom protests and quell stone-pelting mobs at Tukroo in Shopian and Batengoo in Anantnag and about half-a-dozen places elsewhere in the Valley on Saturday.
Yawar Mushtaq Dar, 23, died of deep pellet wounds he received in abdomen and chest during a protest at Batengoo whereas 25-year-old Sayar Ahmed Sheikh suffered head injured after he was hit by a teargas shell in Tukroo village, police said. Both were declared dead on arrival in hospitals.
The latest killings have taken the death toll to 78 in past nine weeks and most of these fatal injuries occurred in government forces’ firings, beatings and other actions during their tough campaign launched to subdue the widespread unrest triggered by the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahedin commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani on July 8.
More than 10,000 civilians have been injured whereas two policemen also died in mob violence. The home ministry officials had two days ago said that about 5,500 securitymen have suffered injuries in stone-pelting and other mob attacks. Meanwhile, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, said she was upset after coming to know about the latest killings.
JeM threatens to target politicians and informers
Pakistan-based Moulana Masood Azhar-led militant outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad has threatened to target mainstream politicians and ‘mukhbirs’ or informers working for the government and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
This, it said in a seven-minute long video, would be done to take the ‘movement’, a reference to the campaign for secession in the state, to its logical conclusion.
In the video which has surfaced on social networking sites, a masked man seeks to serve the ‘last warning’ to those Kashmiris working closely with the Indian authorities. He asks them to repent, seek Allah’s forgiveness and join the cause.
The man sporting an AK-47 and standing against the backdrop of an Arabic graffiti says, “Don’t think we don’t know your names. We have your addresses as well.” He then reads the names and addresses of the people on the Jaish target list and urges them to join the “cause” after seeking Allah’s forgiveness.
