Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 11: A People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Member of Parliament (MP) had a narrow escape after he was attacked by people with bricks and stones in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district today.
The PDP leader and MP, Nazir Ahmad Laway, was on his visit to various schools of the district. Reports said that earlier, he visited Boys Higher Secondary School, Yaripora and Girls Higher Secondary School as well.
The MP, as part of his visit, also went to Boys Higher Secondary School Bogam. “At Bogam School, he was supposed to provide some funds to the school and in the meanwhile, people assembled outside the school and started raising anti-Government slogans. They resorted to massive stone-pelting on the school and the vehicles which were part of MP’s cavalcade resulting in damage to the properties,” sources said. The people were shouting slogans against PDP and its alliance partner, BJP.
The heavy stone pelting confined the PDP MP inside the school and despite security cover, he could not come out. “The security men of his escort informed District Police and reinforcement was sent to the spot after which the PDP MP managed to leave the school safely,” a police officer said on the condition of anonymity. “We shifted him to safe location,” he added.
Angry protesters damaged the vehicles of PDP workers and also torched a vehicle of MP’s aide.
To control the situation, the police resorted to baton charge and fired teargas shelling on the protesters. The situation was later brought under control but the area was tense when this report was being filed.
Meanwhile, An angry mob today set ablaze a police vehicle after it allegedly crushed a Government employee during protest in Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
The incident occurred at Rohama village where locals were protesting against the non-availability of drinking water.
Local residents alleged that a Tata sumo vehicle of police station Panzala crushed a store keeper, Abdul Rashid Dar and injured him. However, police said, they came under stones and while turning the vehicle the man came under it.
“There was a protest against non-availability of water in Rohama. The local Naib-Tehsildar and Station House Officer (SHO) were trying to pacify protesters. In the meanwhile, some people threw stones on the police vehicle and subsequently the cops were attacked with bricks,” a senior police officer told Excelsior, adding: “the panic stricken driver of the vehicle was reversing his vehicle when the Dar came under it.”
The injured store keeper was immediately rushed to hospital for treatment as he had received critical head injuries. “At present, he is in SKIMS Soura,” the police officer said.
He said following the “accident”, the locals went on rampage and torched the police vehicle. “The vehicle belonged to Station House Officer (SHO) Panzala,” he said.
The situation in the village was tense when reports last came in.
Superintendent of Police, Sopore, Abdul Qayoom told Excelsior that the police didn’t hit the man but came “inadvertently” under it. “We didn’t hit him deliberately,” the SP said.
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