Mourners Beaten, Arrested; Curfew Triggers Chaos In City
WASIM KHALID
Srinagar, Dec 15: Police fired tear gas canisters and baton charged the mourners, who formed part of Muharram processions, and commuters even as the stringent curfew remained imposed in areas coming under five police stations of Srinagar. At least 12 people sustained injuries while as 15 persons were arrested following clampdown on the mourners.Complete chaos ruled the city where curfew enforced complete shutdown and hundreds of commuters and students appearing in the exams were either stopped or forced to take alternative routes by the police and CRPF amid the winter chill. The police was accused of highhandedness while dealing with the situation. Early morning, CRPF and police wearing riot gear and equipped with sophisticated weapons were deployed in strength to enforce a strict curfew in a bid to debar people from joining Muharram processions.The bunker vehicles were parked at major junctions while concertina wires were laid to stop the movement of people on the roads and city entry points. Despite strict security arrangements in city and surrounding areas, the mourners brought out processions at various localities.A large group of mourners assembled at Khanqah and were later led by Itehadul Muslimeen chairman Moulana Masroor Abbas Ansari to city. As the mourners, dressed in black clothes and beating their chests, marched towards Lal Chowk, they were intercepted at several places by police.The large procession was first stopped at Babdemb by police. Cops fired tear gas canisters and resorted to baton charge to disperse the mourners. Later Masroor Abbas along with his many party members was arrested and lodged at Kral Khud Police Station.Senior member of Hurriyat (G), Nisar Ahmad Rather, led a procession of mourners near Jehangir Chowk. Police used force to quell the procession.The police also swung into action on mourners at Chinkral Mohalla in Habba Kadal area, Budshah Chowk near Lal Chowk and Tankipora near Divisional Commissioner’s office. The police fired innumerable tear gas shells. Some 10 people received injuries. Journalists covering the incident alleged that SHO Karan Nagar manhandled them. In the evening, violence again flared up at Jehangir Chowk.Muharram procession was also taken out at Dalgate which was intercepted by police.Earlier curfew was imposed in areas falling under Kothibagh, Maisuma, Kralkhud, Ram Munshi Bagh and Shaheedgunj police stations. The officials said the restrictions in these areas were imposed due to apprehensions that separatist groups might attempt to stage anti-national protests during Muharram processions.
COMPLETE CHAOS:Unaware of curfew and strict restrictions, the commuters and students appearing in exams were caught in the chaos. The troops manning streets asked them to take diversions or barred them from moving at all. A student said even their admit slips were not entertained by the troops.Farooq Qautroo, a commuter who was Delhi bound was stopped in Dalgate and beaten. “I showed them my air ticket, but the policemen slapped me and asked me to return,” Qautroo said. “I took a different route thereafter to reach the Airport.”Across the Badshah Bridge, SHO Kothibagh led a team and stopped students and commuters to proceed. The police officer also behaved rudely even with the journalists.Police did not allow even vehicles of media organisations and journalists to enter the areas under curfew.The imposition of curfew led to massive traffic jams in the city areas where no restrictions were imposed. Schools, shops and private offices in the curfew-bound areas were closed.Muharram marks the death of Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) grandson, Imam Hussein (RA), in the battle of Karbala on Ashura.Before 1990, the people used to take out processions from Abi Guzar in Kothibagh and Guru Bazaar in Kralkhud areas which culminated at Dalgate in Ram Munshi Bagh area to mark the eighth day of Muharram. However after 1990, the religious processions were banned by the Government.
SKIMS BUS ‘TRAPPED’ At 9:30 pm, the SKIMS doctors and para-medics traveling in a official bus were stopped. The doctors said they were traveling from Bagh-i-Mehtab to SKIMS Soura when there were stopped by police at civil secretariat. “They asked us to moved through Shaheedgunj,” a doctor said. “However we were again stopped there as they had wires on the road. We were forced to return. While coming back, they have again put the barbed wire near Civil Secretariat and were not allowed to proceed further. And we remained trapped for hour there”. After an hour, the doctors said they were allowed only on repeated pleas to pass through Kani Kadal area.POLICE SPEAKS:Police spokesman said there were no reports of any untoward incident from any place. “Situation is normal and under control throughout Kashmir valley,” the spokesman said. “As a precautionary measure, authorities have today put in place restrictions under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, under areas falling under five police stations.”
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