SRINAGAR: One of the two local youth who have been accused of assaulting a 16-year-old student in Jammu and Kashmir’s Handwara town and then spreading the rumour that she was molested by an Army jawan last week has been arrested by police.
The alleged molestation of the girl had sparked off widespread pro-tests in Handwara and elsewhere in the Valley during which five persons were killed in security forces’ firings and other actions. The mayhem pushed the Kashmir Valley into a spate of shutdowns and official curfews for about one week.
As peace returned after a week, curfew-like rest-rictions were lifted on Tuesday from Handwara and Kupwara towns, on a day the authorities gave in to the demand of loca-ls by removing four bun-kers of security forces from the epicentre of the unrest that began last Tuesday.
Restrictions were eased in Handwara for four hours from 8 am, two hours after the auth-orities started demolishing the security force bunkers in the town, a police official said. As four hours passed off pe-acefully, the relaxation was extended till 6 pm.
Hilal Ahmed Bandey, a local shop owner, was arrested by police on Mon-day night after it registered an FIR in the local police station under Sections 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 506 (criminal intimidation), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent) of the state’s Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) against him and the other accused.
Bandey is among the two persons named by the girl in her statement before a judicial magistrate alleging they abu-sed and slapped her as she came out of public lavatory adjacent to the Army camp at the town square on April 12.
Earlier, the girl had in a video circulated by the Army said that one of the youth who was in school uniform and who spread the tale about her having been molested by an Army jawan “refused to listen to me, abused me, slapped me and then snatched my bag”.
She had also said that the other youth identified by her as ‘Hilal Bhai’ appeared at the scene and started shouting, inviting the attention of the passersby. She, as said by police, reiterated it in her statement before Handwara’s judicial magistrate on April 16.
Police officials said that the other accused will also be arrested soon and that a manhunt has been launched for him. They hoped that the entire case will be solved once the second accused is also arrested.
Meanwhile, the authorities on Tuesday demolished four Army bunkers in the town including the one which was attacked by a mob after the word about the girl’s alleged molestation spread on April 12.
These bunkers were laid about 22 years ago during the heyday of insurgency in the Valley with the purpose of providing cover to military convoys against possible militant attacks while passing through the area.
The demolition took place during a four-hour relaxation in curfew. A huge crowd assembled and began chanting slogans while the two-storey bunker in the town’s main square was being razed to the ground in presence of Kupwara’s Deputy Commissioner, Rajeev Ranjan ,and other senior civil administration and police officials. The DC had earlier issued a formal order handing the location over to Tourism and Social Forestry departments for converting it into a public park.
While the Handwara municipal authorities put up a signpost reading ‘Site for Public Park’, a group of people arrived at the scene with a banner with ‘Shaheed Nayeem Chowk’ written in English and Urdu on it and then spread it on the outer fence of the enclosure. Nayeem Qadir Bhat, the 19-year-old budding cricketer, was among the two youth shot dead by security forces on April 12.
While municipal bulldozers were tearing down the bunker, local MLA and minister for social welfare, Sajad Gani Lone, also appeared at the scene and in his brief speech before a crowd appealed for maintaining clam.
Removal of Army bunkers from the town was one of the demands of the local people but the Army had initially refused to move out. It relented only after an intervention at the highest level.
Official sources said that Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, spoke to Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar, over the phone and also met Lt.Gen. D.S. Hooda , the Chief of Army’s Northern Command, to say that conceding the demand of the locals would help towards defusing the situation.
The local authorities also pointed out that Army convoys while moving between twin border towns of Baramulla and Kupwara no more pass through the town but use a recently constructed by-pass road and, therefore, there was no need for the Army to stay put in the heart of the town.
On Tuesday, Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, along with Lt. Gen. Hooda visited Kupwara to review the security situation in the backdrop of recent incidents. “He was briefed about the situation along the Line of Control and hinterland. In his interaction with the officers and troops, the Army Chief expressed his satisfaction at the operational preparedness of the units deployed along the LOC and hinterland,” defence spokesman Lt. Col. N.N. Joshi, said.
He added Gen. Suhag seized the occasion to impress upon the Army officers and jawans deployed in the frontier district “to ensure security in the area in concert with police and civil administration”.
Earlier, the Army Chief visited the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps headquarters where he was briefed by the Corps Commander, Lt. Gen. Satish Dua on the overall security situation and the preparedness of Chinar Corps in dealing with the emerging challenges. “He was also briefed about Handwara which witnessed violent protests in the past few days,” the defence spokesman said.
Kupwara DC Mr. Ranjan said that following improvement in the situation curfew has been lifted from entire district and that schools will reopen on Wednesday.
However, reports from the area said that security restrictions continued to be enforced by police and CRPF in some parts of Kupwara and the township of Trehgam which witnessed sporadic incident of violence on Tuesday.
In Srinagar, police foiled regional Awami Ittihaad Party (AIP)’s protest march towards the official residence of the Chief Minister. The protests were being led by Independent lawmaker and AIP chief Sheikh Abdur Rashid who alleged Ms. Mufti-led government failed to stop Army from killing civilians in Handwara and at other places in Kupwara.
Police detained Mr. Rashid and other protester who were carrying banners which had on them also photographs showing Ms. Mufti as opposition leader leading protests against the civilian killings during the Omar Abdullah government and demanding repeal of contentious Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act from the State. End it
