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| Valley fire moves north; 2 dead, curfew in Baramulla | | North Kashmir town all fire on SHO’s ‘misbehaviour’ but silent on 14-year-old’s rape by civilian | | Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR, Jun 29: Entangled in the incident of rape-cum-murder of two young women at the South Kashmir district headquarters of Shopian for the last one month, authorities have imposed curfew on Baramulla township in North Kashmir after two civilians got killed and 25 others sustained injuries in violent clashes with Police. Tension has erupted at the garrison district headquarters over a woman’s allegation that SHO Baramulla “misbehaved” with her in exchange for the release of her husband, detained in the matter of abduction and rape of a 15-year-old girl.
Informed sources in North Kashmir told Early Times that trouble broke out in Baramulla last evening when a woman, namely Haseena W/o Mohammad Yusuf Bhat R/ Nattipora (Srinagar), presently living in Sheeri (Baramulla), appeared at a market and shouted that SHO Baramulla and Head Constable Mohammad Amin of Police Station Baramulla had suggested her stay in their room for a night in exchange for the release of her husband. She alleged that the Police personnel attempted to outrage her modesty. Her husband has been arrested and detained for “abetment” of the abduction of a 14-year-old girl by his brother-in-law, Meraj-ud-din Marazi S/o Abdul Aziz Marazi R/o Sheeri.
Sources said that hundreds of the residents of old Baramulla town took to the streets while shouting anti-Police and pro-Azadi slogans till late in the night. They demanded release of the complainant’s husband and action against the Police officials for “attempting to outrage modesty of a woman”.
Even as Police succeeded in recovering the missing girl, Rehana, alongwith the prime accused, Meraj-ud-din Marazi (Haseena’s brother) from Bemina outskirts of Srinagar in the wee hours today, thousands of people converged on the streets between the old town and Civil Lines and set off anti-Police and pro-Azadi demonstrations in the forenoon. Sources and eyewitnesses said that a multitude of people attacked Police and CRPF deployments as also Police Station Baramulla after enforcing total shutdown at the district headquarters.
While the mobs resorted to stone pelting on buildings, bunkers and vehicles--- and also attempted to torch a Police vehicle---Police used baton charge, counter stone-pelting and tearsmoke to disperse the demonstration. After a number of Police and CRPF personnel sustained injuries and the crowds did not show any signs to relent, Police opened fire. Sources said that at least 20 civilians sustained injuries in firing, stone-pelting and stampede. Two of the critically wounded persons, reportedly hit by bullets and tearsmoke shells, later succumbed.
Sources said that 22-year-old cable network linesman, Mohammad Saleem Wani S/o late Abdur Rasheed Wani R/o Mohalla Mir Sahab breathed his last en route to a Srinagar hospital near Pattan. Later, in the evening, 21-year-old Showkat Ahmed Malik S/o Saifuddin Malik R/o Drangbal, Baramulla, succumbed to injuries at a hospital in Srinagar. Calling it “imposition of Section 144 Cr PC, authorities clamped curfew on the entire Baramulla township for fear of more intense protest demonstrations and clashes.
Official sources confirmed that 20 civilians and 30 Police/CRPF personnel had sustained injuries in today’s clashes in Baramulla. They, according to official sources, included Dy SP Bashir Ahmed, SHO Baramulla Inspector Mohammad Abdullah, 19 constables of J&K Police and 9 constables of CRPF.
Sources revealed that one Ghulam Ahmed Ganai of Binner, Rafiabd, had lodged FIR No: 128 of 2009 Dated 16-06-2009 at Police Station Baramulla with the complaint that Meraj-ud-din Marazi of Sheeri, his brother-in-law Mohammad Yusuf Bhat and latter’s brother had kidnapped his 14-year-old daughter, Rehana, and were all absconding. Days after the incident, Police succeeded in arresting Mohammad Yusuf Bhat from a locality in Srinagar. Within hours of his arrest, Bhat’s wife, Haseena, appeared at Police Station Baramulla with the complaint that her husband had been detained in a criminal matter he, according to her, was not involved.
Even as the abducted girl’s father and other relatives confronted her, Haseena continued to seek her “innocent” husband’s release. Later she leveled allegation of sexual harassment against the SHO and HC Mohammad Amin before shopkeepers and local cable TV camera crews which triggered off protest demonstrations and resultant clashes.
On detained Bhat’s clues, Police conducted a raid in Mehjoor Nagar Nattipora area and learned that Merajuddin had taken Rehana to an acquaintance’s house in Boat Colony, Bemina. Police conducted another raid at 0300 hours last night and recovered both Rehana as well as her abductor Mehraj-ud-din Marazi.
Dy SP Headquarters, Baramulla, Sheikh Faisal, told this newspaper that Police handed over Rehana to her parents after conducting her medical examination. He said that doctors at District Hospital of Baramulla confirmed that she had been raped more than once. He said that Meraj-ud-din had been detained Section 363 RPC (kidnapping) and 376 RPC (rape) while as Mohammad Yusuf Bhat had been held under Section 109 (abetment to kidnapping).
DIG North Kashmir, Farooq Khan, told Early Times that Bhat’s wife, Haseena, had leveled “completely baseless allegations” against SHO and other Police personnel. Quoting District Magistrate’s order of magisterial inquiry, he said that “blackmailing” was employed to attempt release of the accused involved in the kidnapping and murder of a minor girl. He insisted that Police opened fire as its last resort after nearly 30 personnel sustained injuries and the mobs refused to relent. He claimed that only four persons sustained bullet injuries. Two of them later succumbed.
Farooq Khan said that initially Haseena had got her statement recorded at local cable channel K-24 according to which Police had demanded from her bribe of Rs 10,000 for her husband’s release. Later she raised the amount to 20,000 and so on. He said that the abducted girl’s father too rushed to K-24 and refuted Haseena’s allegation. DIG said that trouble subsided when the residents of Baramulla learned through TV that Haseena’s brother had actually kidnapped a 14-year-old girl from Binner, Rafiabad. He said that “vested interests” exploited the situation in the morning and provoked a larger demonstration.
Officials at the office of DC Baramulla said that the District Magistrate, Lateef-uz-Zamaan Deva, ordered a magisterial inquiry, under Order No: DMB/293-300 Dated 29-06-2009, into the entire episode from Haseena’s allegations against Police to clashes and firing. Additional DC, Mohammad Ashraf Shonthoo, has been assigned to investigate and submit his report within 10 days. He would inquire whether Haseena’s accusation had any substance or not, how thousands of people gathered in the evening and again in the morning, where use of force by Police/CRPF was proportionate or disproportionate to the intensity of trouble and whether Police/CRPF had adopted standard methods of operation to counter the trouble. He would also suggest remedial measures and action against the guilty if any found.
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