Srinagar: Yawar Ahmad Dar, a teenager from Kulgam, was killed in firing by army in the south Kashmir district on June 26 this year.
He was “hit by stray bullet when army in defence fired in air after an unruly mob heavy pelted stones upon them “, SSP Kulgam said in a report submitted to SHRC in compliance to commission’s orders on a petition filed by the chairman International Forum for Justice and Human Rights Muhammad Ahsan Untoo.
Based on a report received by him from SHO, the SSP said that army party on the way towards the encounter site at Chaddar Mutahama when it was heavily pelted with stones.
“The army party in defense opened fire in air, due to which one person namely Yaawar of Gasipora sustained injuries and the said mob took him to hospital for treatment at the district hospital Anantnag where he succumbed,” the SSP.
He said FIR—33/18 under section 336,307, 147, 148, 149 RPC was filed in the case and investigations started.
“During the course of investigation, the investigating officer has found involvement of many accused who were part of the mob including Yawar Ahmad Dar. The said person got injured due to stray bullet and was referred to hospital where he succumbed,”
The SSP said “angry mob” not allowed conduct of postmortem of Yawar and took the body to his ancestral village.
“If the police had taken body of Yawar into custody, there was apprehension that there would have been a large law and order problem. Further, the investigation against accused persons is going on,” the SSP said.
The report submitted by the deputy commissioner of Kulgam reads that an encounter between militants and government forces broke at Khrewan Qaimoh in which two militants were killed and one was captured alive. “On the same day, in the aftermath of encounter clashes broke out between civilians and government forces at various places. During clashes at Qaimoh, the forces fired bullets to disperse the stone pelters in which a civilian Yawar Ahemd of Gasipora sustained bullet injuries in his chest and later succumbed,” the report of DC Kulgam reads.
Meanwhile, Untoo questioned the police report, saying if the army fired in air, how the youth sustained bullet in chest. “These are fairy tales to save the men in uniform, especially the army men are trigger happy in Kashmir. I urge the international community to probe all the civilian killings,” he said.
