By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Srinagar: The death of four dozen Kashmiris in protests following the encounter of Hizbul Commander has ushered in innumerable stories of human rights violations by the security forces, but until now, such stories have come always from the oppressed people. However, this time a Jammu and Kashmir Police officer has publicly exposed the actions of the state machinery.
In an interview with local news agency, Muhammad Ashraf Paul, who is in charge of the Police post in Sangam, Anantnag district, testified as to how Paramilitary personnels of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) resorted to inflicting injuries and harassing civilians in Kashmir.
Paul told Srinagar-based Current News Service that CRPF troopers thrashed people without any reason and damaged their private vehicles, along with molesting female commuters.
Raising serious allegations against the CRPF men, the police officer said that the security forces even beat up policemen and threatened to shoot them, when the Police tried to stop them from harassing people.
“More than two lakh people visited Tral to attend militant Commander Burhan’s funeral and thousands of them including females took the Sangam route. Sensing trouble and to maintain peace in the area, we advised the ‘emotionally charged’ people to take alternative route as we feared that CRPF men deployed at Sangam will create law and order problem,” the Police officer was quoted as saying by CNS.
“CRPF men put aside our route plan and to vent their anger they abused and slapped couple of local policemen. We failed to understand whether these CRPF men are here to maintain peace or foment people for trouble,” the officer added.
While narrating the incident CRPF personnel’s from 90th Battalion harassing a pregnant woman, officer Paul said that CRPF men beat up some of the JKP cops when they tried to save and give safe passage to the woman.
“They threatened to kill us when we saved a girl from Kulgam from them. They harassed that girl who was accompanying her ailing mother along with her brother. These men crossed all the limits while dealing with the trio. Our heads hung in shame. They tried to maim us but we didn’t retreat and freed the hapless girl,” he said.
The account of unnecessary harassment and brute use of force at the hands of CRPF has also came from other government employees from different parts of the Valley.
Manzoor Ahmed, 53, was walking in Safakadal for his job of driving the personal vehicle of Jammu Kashmir Voluntary Health Association Chairman, Ali Mohammad Mir. As he was about to cross a CRPF checkpoint, the men in uniform stopped and beat him without any provocation.
“I told them that I was going to my place of work. They angrily asked me to go back home. As I turned, they pounced on me like barbarians and thrashed me mercilessly. I have wounds on my legs and hands. If the local youths hadn’t come out to save me they could have killed me,” Manzoor told TwoCircles.net over phone from Srinagar.
While briefing TwoCircles.net from Srinagar, about the latest spate of security forces brutality in valley, senior separatist leader, Hilal Ahmed War said, “CRPF men are not accountable to their acts of omission and commission in Valley. They are protected by AFSPA. J&K Police also does use brute force but not on the scale as the CRPF does.”
“India says that they are here to win the hearts of the people in Kashmir, but the actions of their security forces reveal otherwise. By doing such things, they are harming interest of their own country, because ultimately things are going to be settled by dialogue,” he added.