Residents allege 60 more were injured in ‘ruthless beating’; Army orders internal inquiry; Death toll reaches 66 on 41st day of shutdown; Strict enforcement of curfew in Srinagar; CRPF suspends SI for shooting ambulance driver

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR: Close on the heels of over 300 residents’ beating in the Hizbul Mujahideen supremo Syed Salahuddin’s village of Soibug in Budgam district, Army has allegedly beaten a 30-year-old Higher Secondary lecturer to death and left 60 residents injured and fractured in Sharshali village in Khrew area of Pampore in Pulwama district. Police have registered murder case against unnamed forces officials even as CRPF placed under suspension a Sub Inspector for shooting pump action gun on an ambulance driver in this capital city on Thursday.
Informed sources told STATE TIMES that late on Wednesday night troops of Rashtriya Rifles, alongwith some Policemen, swooped down on Sharshali village, near Khrew, and picked up four ‘wanted’ persons from their respective residences. The residents gathered in large numbers and clashed with the troops in an attempt to get the detainees released. However, troops whisked away all the four young men to their camp and allegedly subjected them to severe physical torture.
On the other hand, troops allegedly damaged and ransacked scores of residential houses. They subjected dozens of the residents to severe beating. While as the residents claimed that 60 of them were left injured and fractured, official sources insisted that the number of the injured was 40. However, Police officials on record maintained that only 16 persons were injured. They claimed that all of them were stable.
Of the four detainees, a 30-year-old contractual Higher Secondary Lecturer Shabir Ahmad Mangu succumbed to the physical torture. His body was handed over to the family in the wee hours on Thursday.

Two more in critical condition were rushed to Srinagar and admitted to SMHS Hospital.
In the wake of massive outcry, Police Station Pampore in the afternoon registered case FIR No: 156/2016 under sections 302, 307, 427 and 120-B RPC against unnamed officials of RR 50 Bn. General Officer Commanding 15 Corps Lt Gen Satish Dua regretted the teacher’s death and told mediapersons at the sidelines of BSF’s passing-out parade that Army had ordered an internal inquiry into the peoples’ complaint. He said that the civilian’s death was “regrettable”.
“It was a joint patrol. One death has happened and I am aware of it,” Lt Gen Dua said at the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regimental Centre here. “We have a due process of investigation and we will investigate into the incident”, he said.
With the ill-fated teacher’s alleged torture killing, death toll in the 41-day-long turbulence, triggered by militant Burhan Wani’s death in an encounter on July 8, has reached 66, including three Policemen.
While as curfew continued on the 41st consecutive day in Srinagar, Pampore and Anantnag, officials said that restrictions under section 144 CrPC were enforces in rest of the Kashmir valley. Complete shutdown was observed in entire Valley on the call of three separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik who have sponsored the strike over Burhan Wani’s death. The strike, coupled with curfew, has paralysed life in Kashmir.
With the culmination of Amarnath Yatra on Thyrsday, authorities decided to strictly enforce curfew for day and night in the capital city of Srinagar. A fresh elite deployment of CRPF took place in Srinagar and reportedly at some other district headquarters. Official sources said that only the ambulances carrying patients were being allowed to operate.
A number of journalists were stopped, allegedly abused at several barriers and pushed back tersely. They were told that no movement would be permitted. Even their curfew passes were not entertained.
At around 8.00 pm, men from a CRPF naka fired from a pump action gun on the driver of an ambulance at Safakadal. Driver Ghulam Mohammad Sofi was on way to SMHS Hospital from Sub District Hospital Kangan. CRPF sources said that he did not stop when he was signalled. One of the soldiers fired on the ambulance. Driver Sofi drove straight to SMHS Hospital where doctors with the help of X-Ray detected pellets in his arm. Initial reports had said that he had sustained gunshot injuries.
Sources said that Sofi was referred to Bone and Joint Hospital Barzullah for orthopaedic examination. They said that pending inquiry CRPF has immediately placed under suspension one Sub Inspector.