By Mudassir Maqbool
Shopian 03 May: Clashes are under way at Dachoo village here between mourners with body of Sufail Ahmad who succumbed to injuries he had received during Sunday encounter, and government forces as local army is not letting the ‘huge procession enter the grave yard’. According to locals Army’s 44 RR is stationed in the camp near Dachoo village, who had already informed village elders that ‘get a few men with the body’.
“The Army camp had told the elders of village that few men should accompany the body. The graveyard is situated opposite the camp,” locals told INS over phone.
Government forces have resorted to tear gas shelling to disperse mourners and locals claim that five people are injured in forces action.
“He is yet to be buried. People are not accepting Army Dictat,” they claimed.
Sufail breathed his last on Tuesday after he succumbed to injuries he had received during clashes as gunfight raged between holed up militants and government forces in Shopian.
“Army is preventing them from burring him, Rameez, cousin of sufail said.
“They fired pellets and shells on people who treid to move towards the graveyard,” he said.
However a senior police official refuted the allegations and said that ‘burial is getting delayed due to stone pelting and clashes’.
He said that they have ‘appealed parents of slain youth have appealed to people to bury their son peacefully”.
Sufail, according to locals is 17 years old.
Thousands of mourners attended his funeral prayers, and almost five funeral prayers were held for him.
Sufail was injured when army vehicles were retreating from encounter site and clashes were happening near Urpora village of shopian, locals said.
“He was hit by bullet in abdomen and he was shifted near zainpora hospital but due to RR camp in way they changed route and was shifted to SDH yaripora. He was shifted to SMHSs,” locals claimed.
Sufail Hassan bhat S/o Gh hassan bhat 17 year was studying class tenth student in government high school Humhuna, and was brilliant student.
“His mother was panch, and he was known as iqbal as they would fondly call him,” locals said.
People from different villages of shopian including Nullyposhwari,Turkuwangum,pinjoora,trenz, Nagbal ,imam sahib.
“At least five back to back funerals were held in Dachoo village around 2 :50 pm amid pro freedom sloganeering,” locals said.
(File picture used, only for representational purposes. it has no relation with the incident)
