Cops face injuries, threats, boycott

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 11

A 42-year-old sub inspector, Tariq Ahmed (name changed), of the J&K Police is yet to resume his duties after he was hit by a stone close to his right eye a day after the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani. His vision is getting blurred with each day despite treatment.

“My eyesight is getting weak,” the officer said.

Posted as an in charge of the police post in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, the officer who hails from a north Kashmir district, recalls as to how fierce was the group of protesters on July 9 when they made umpteenth attempts to storm a police installation in the area.

“A group of nearly 2,000 youth appeared near our police post at 10 am on July 9. They lobbed petrol bombs, threw stones and tried to storm the police post, which we did not allow. At least 15 policemen and CRPF jawans stationed at the post were injured while ensuring that the mob does not storm the post,” he said.

“I was hit by a stone near my right eye at around 3 pm and felt piercing pain,” he said, adding that he was yet to resume duties.

A Deputy Superintendent of Police was hit by a stone on July 29 on his left hand, resulting in compound fracture. He was operated upon at the Army Hospital and has resumed duty.

“I joined duty after the surgery,” he said.

The widespread clashes that broke following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani has left 54 civilians and two policemen dead and over 7,000 people injured. Union minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said 4,515 security personnel and 3,356 civilian were injured during the protests in Kashmir. However, hospitals across Kashmir have so far received over 6,000 injured civilian.

According to official figures, nearly 150 police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel were hospitalised in J&K police hospital and Army’s 92-Base hospital in Srinagar after they came under attack of stone-throwers.

Inspector General, CRPF, Atul Karwal said over 1,600 CRPF personnel were injured in the clashes and most of them received burn injuries, head injuries, fractures and splinter injuries.

“One of our jawans is in a critical condition,” Karwal said.

The civilian killings and using pellet guns, which has blinded several hundred protesters, including teenagers, have generated anger against the men in khakhi and put pressure on them and their families. They are also facing open threats from protesters, separatists and militants as the anger against them is growing.

Apart from threats of social boycott, coupled with separatists and protesters naming certain police officers for their alleged atrocities on protesters during the current phase of unrest, graffiti and posters have appeared in various areas threatening police officers with dire consequences.

A senior police officer in Srinagar said the police had already registered cases wherever threats had been issued to their officials or personnel.

“Cases have been registered and investigation will be taken to logical conclusion,” he said.

Amid all these pressures on professional and social front, the police officials, who are engaged in maintaining law and order situation, said this was the toughest situation they were facing after 2008 and 2010.