Kashmir 11 sept 2010

Mob violence mars Eid in Kashmir

Srinagar, Sept 11:

The festivities of Eid-ul-Fitr, marking ending of holy month of fasting, were marred by incidents of mob violence including ransacking and arson of several government and police buildings in Kashmir on Saturday. In the midst of the violence, police and security forces exhibited tremendous restrain to avoid any casualty even as three persons including a policeman were injured.

After peaceful Eid prayers at Eidgah where ten and thousands of people converged this morning, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman of the moderate Hurriyat group, who led the prayers, swiftly called for “Lal Chowk Challo” march.

The trouble started soon after the rally culminated following the address by Mirwaiz and other separatist leaders including JKLF chief Yaseen Malik as a mob barged into the office of Chief Engineer Power Development Department (PDD) near Exhibition Crossing near Jahangir Chowk here, half a kilometer from the venue and set it ablaze.

The adjacent building including Crime Branch office and shops meant for exhibition purpose were also engulfed in flames and suffered a substantial damage before the fire tenders doused the blazes. The extensive damage was caused by the fact that the structures were mostly made of timber. The mob also roughed up and beat up a crime policeman, Nazir Ahmad, with a steel rod. He has been admitted into hospital, official said. Despite the heightened violence, the police and security forces exhibited maximum restrain and fired only in air to disperse the mob.

The mob also damaged clock tower, being under renovation by the government as a part of its beatifying plans in Srinagar. Green flags were hoisted atop the clock tower by youth who were shouting pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. A youth, Imran Ahmad Bhat fell off during the process of flag hoisting and was rushed to nearby SMHS hospital where his condition is stated to be stable. The tower, an important landmark in nerve centre of Lal Chowk, was damaged in mob action as the roof was razed to ground.

The incident occurred before Mirwaiz and other separatist leaders reached the historic venue. Many prominent figures including first Prime Minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru, founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, national Conference founder, had addressed the rallies in past.

Traffic police posts at Jahangir Chowk and Regal chowk were also set on fire alongside the roadside articles of private shops by the mob. The plastic road dividers, used by the traffic police for regulating traffic, were also torched at many places from regal chowk to the tower, some 50 meters apart.

The rampaging mobs also attack the SP South’s office and Women police station Rambagh, few meters from Jahangir Chowk, spot where PDD and other government property was set into flames.

Earlier, Mirwaiz had to persuade the people who had assembled at the clock tower to leave home as they were adamant to carry with the sit-in till some measures were taken on ground by the people. This went contradictory to the Eid sermon speech at Eidgah by the Mirwaiz who asked people to march to Lal Chowk to stage a 30-minute protest only against the recent killing of people in Kashmir.

A police spokesman here put whole blame on the moderate separatist leader for the violence in Lal Chowk.

“Though there were assurances that the programmes will remain peaceful, administration had allowed them. However, the assurances given on media and public were proved false,” a spokesman said in a statement.

“Mirwaiz Umer Farooq incited the situation by leading a procession to Lal chowk from Eidgah, taking the advantage of the Congregation and thus vitiated the celebration in Srinagar,” the spokesman added. .

The incidents of violence were not restricted to Lal Chowk alone. Earlier, a crowd set on fire a police barrack and a vehicle of the police department outside the Harzratbal Shrine on the banks of the Dal lake here following which security forces had to open fire.

Officials said that soon after prayers, a group of people attacked the police barrack in the lawns of Hazratbal, housing police personnel on security duty of the shrine and also the holy relics of prophet Mohammad (SAW). The mob set the barrack and police cab on fire, prompting policemen to open fire in air to disperse the mob and prevent any further damage to public property. Some of the cops had to fire in civics as the situation turned very hostile, they added.

“Timely and prompt action of the Fire service and Police stopped the fire from spreading. The mob was dispersed sans any injury to anyone,” the police spokesman said here.

The police spokesman, meanwhile, said that the mob also attacked police station in Sopore, police post at Main Chowk Sopore, and police station Pulwama and Kunzer. There were stone pelting incidents at Lethpora Awantipora in southern Kashmir’s Anantnag district, near State Bank of India at Sopore and Muran Chowk in Pulwama. Rampaging mob also attacked a toll post of Pahalgam near Langanbal. Late in the vening, Police also opened fire in Sopore in which a youth Aquib Bashir son of Bashir Ahmad Hajam of Model Town, Spore was injured and was shifted to Bone and Joints hospital. His condition is stated to be stable, a police official said.

The events also cast its shadow on the celebration of Eid elsewhere in the Kashmir valley.