Usually there is precedence to almost everything bad that happens in the jinxed Kashmir. Occurrence of deaths during encounters between militants and security forces as also in clashes between demonstrators and police has been a norm in the Valley since long.
But nobody among police officers and mediapersons recalls when seven civilians got killed in an improved explosive device (IED) blast, following security forces’ operation, at an encounter site in the last 20 years.
This is why there is a fierce reaction to the ‘killing’ of seven young men at Laroo, in the turbulent southern Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Sunday, 22 October.
On Monday, the Valley observed shutdown over a call from the separatists’ Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL). JRL’s stellar faces – Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik – announced a protest sit-in at Srinagar’s business nerve centre of Lalchowk on Tuesday, after a long time.
Train services and Internet have been shut down indefinitely in South Kashmir, while educational institutions in the Valley would remain closed for some days. Exams and interviews have also been cancelled after many people attended funeral processions of the seven civilians, and three militants and groups of the guerrillas offered gun salutes to their slain associates.
Clashes at Encounter Sites
Director General of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Dilbag Singh, maintained in a telephonic conversation with The Quint that the IED blast occurred “minutes after our boys had withdrawn from the village”.
He claimed that the police and security forces had finished killing three local militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad and they were searching for arms and explosives, if any left under the debris, when hundreds of people shouting slogans stormed the encounter site.
“In order to avoid confrontation with the crowds, police and security forces left the spot with bodies and arms and ammunition of the three militants. Bodies were later handed over to the families for funeral rites,” DGP said.
“It’s believed that somebody from the crowd mishandled some explosive device which went off, causing splinter and shrapnel injuries to nine persons. Seven of them subsequently died at different hospitals.”Dilbag Singh, Director General of the Jammu and Kashmir Police
DGP repeated a standing advisory to the civilian populations, beseeching them to stay away from encounter sites till proper sanitisation.
“It’s a great human tragedy. We all are shocked over the loss of life,” he said, claiming that the security forces were helpless in such situations. “We didn’t breach any Standard Operating Procedure. Unfortunately, the people ignore our advisories, appeals and warnings on such occasions and they risk their life”.
Conspiracy Theories
Social media, nevertheless, is flooded with the allegations that the security forces adopted “an Israeli strategy” to keep away the crowds who have spoiled over a hundred military operations and rescued more than 70 holed up militants in similar operations with slogans and stones in the last four years.
From Twitter to Facebook and WhatsApp, conspiracy theories are in full circulation, alleging that the forces did “deliberately” leave behind a live IED to explode and scare away hostile crowds. Many in social media alleged that four of the seven civilians had gunshot wounds.
Superintendent of Police in Kulgam, Harmeet Singh, who supervised the joint operation with DIG South Kashmir Amit Kumar, Commander of Rashtriya Rifles Sector-2, Brig Sachin Malik, Commanding Officer of RR 09 Battalion, Col Jaipal, and Commanding Officer of CRPF 18 Battalion, Henzing, said that a violent crowd of over 3,000 people appeared from three directions when the search operation was underway.
He said that several UBGL and hand grenades besides a 2.5 kg IED were recovered from the militants’ baggage. According to him, all the three militants jumped out when the house caught fire. All three were shot dead during the four-hour-long gunfight in which two soldiers sustained injuries.
SP Kulgam blasted allegations and conspiracy theories while claiming that the police or security forces did not fire “even a single round” on the civilians.
He claimed that residents at many villages had become habitual of collecting left out arms and ammunition. “They sell such things to militants. An AK-47 magazine fetches them Rs 1,200, a rifle or a pistol much more,” SP said.
According to him, assembling of four or more people in a radius of 2.5 km from the site of an operation is prohibited lawfully under orders of the District Magistrate.
‘Two of the Seven had Gunshot Wounds’
Medical Superintendent at District Hospital Anantnag, Dr Majid Mehrab, did not fully corroborate the DGP’s and SP’s claim that all the seven civilians had got killed in the blast.
“We received two men with gunshot wounds in their abdomen. Both succumbed to injuries. Four more reported with pellet injuries on their bodies including eyes. They were all referred to SMHS Hospital, Srinagar. We treated 11 more here. They are all stable,” Dr Mehrab told The Quint.
Medical Superintendent at District Hospital Kulgam, Dr Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, said that three men were “brought dead” to his hospital.
“We referred three of the injured to SMHS Hospital where two young men died and the third one was reportedly recovering after a surgery. In addition, we treated 6 of the injured here and discharged them all in the evening,” Dr Bhat said. Quoting a team of his hospital surgeons, he said that none of the injured had a gunshot wound.
Medical Superintendent at SMHS Hospital, Srinagar, Dr Saleem Tak said that two men, referred from DH Anantnag, were “brought dead” to his hospital. “We referred one patient to Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Soura. He is stable after the surgery,” Dr Tak said. He, too, denied any of the three having a gunshot injury.
Politicians “Shocked”
Chairman of a faction of the separatist Hurriyat Conference and HRL leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq lost no time to approach the United Nations over what he called “appalling human rights situation”. Through a tweet he promoted an e-petition.
The separatist leader earlier tweeted:
In a statement, the National Conference patriarch Farooq Abdullah said: “It is heartrending to learn about such incidents which have become the norm. The situation calls for immediate de-escalation from all sides.”
Former Chief Minister and NC Vice President Omar Abdullah’s reaction was terse. On Twitter, he said:
Later, in a statement, Omar expressed anguish over the killings and said “little good can our words do to those who lost their loved ones. I pray for peace to the souls of those who lost their lives and a speedy recovery for all the injured. I pray to the Almighty to give courage to the families of victims to bear the loss.”
Another former Chief Minister and the PDP President Mehbooba Mufti tweeted:
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who will be in Srinagar on a pre-scheduled visit on Tuesday, 23 October, is expected to discuss with senior government functionaries the situation created out of the Kulgam blast.
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