Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 1: Army today said that they didn’t fire bullets that led to the killing of first man in North Kashmir district of Bandipora yesterday whileas normal life across Kashmir was today affected due to the strike called by separatist groups to protest against the killing of two youth in Bandipora district yesterday.
The Commander of 3 sector Rashtriya Rifles of Victor Force, Brigadier Gopal Sharma, today told reporters at Mansbal that Army personnel did not fire the bullets that led to first killing in village Markundal yesterday.
“We are surprised who fired upon him. I reached myself on the spot and checked the ammunition of my men and I found that not a single bullet was wasted by my jawans,” said the Brigadier.
The commander, however, admitted that another youth was killed in Army firing. “We were helpless that time. The protestors had snatched the keys of our vehicles and damaged one of the ambulances completely. Our jawans fired upon the protesters in self defence,” he said.
Sharma maintained that the jawans of 13 RR and Special Operation Group personnel of local police had laid a siege of Markundal area after they had received an information that militants were present in the village.
However, a civilian driver, who was hired by the Army for ferrying the troops to the village claimed that the State police was not involved in the operation.
“There was no one else there when the first burst of firing took place. There was only Army,” Manzoor Ahmad Sheikh, one of the five civilian drivers hired for the operation by the Army, told Excelsior.
Sheikh said the vehicles were called to the Safapora Army camp on Saturday and at 11.00 pm they started to move. “We were told that some Army personnel have to be dropped in Sonamarg area. We were asked to proceeded towards Markundal village,” he said.
Sheikh said around 4.00 am, he and other drivers heard firing shots and after some time they heard wails of women.Asked if army personnel had opened firing, Sheikh said “I did not see it. I only heard the gunshots.”
In the meantime, separatist sponsored strike paralyzed life in Kashmir. Both factions of Hurriyat Conference and JKLF called for a complete shutdown against the killing of two youth.
Shops, business establishments, educational institutions, banks and private offices remained closed due to the strike. Public transport was off the roads in most parts of the Valley. Attendance in Government offices was thin due to the strike.
Police and paramilitary CRPF personnel have been deployed in numbers in Sumbal, Hajin, Naidkhai and adjoining areas to maintain law and order. There were curfew like restrictions in the area to prevent any clashes.
Protesters today tried to set an Army Goodwill School (AGS) on fire in Hajin area of Bandipora district in Kashmir in the wake of killing of two youth.
A police spokesman said: “A group of miscreants tried to set on fire a school building at Hajin but the blaze was put out by fire tenders in time.” He said there was no major damage done to the building by the miscreants who were chased away by law enforcing agencies.
However, reports said furniture of two class rooms was damaged in the incident.
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