Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 18: The Deputy Commissioner Kulgam today ordered magisterial inquiry into the death of a woman during a nocturnal raid by security forces in a Kulgam district village.
Authorities had to impose curfew like restrictions in parts of Kulgam as locals protested against his death and clashed with police and security forces.
Deputy Commissioner Kulgam, Jehangir Mir, told Excelsior that magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the death of a woman Nazira Bano. He said that Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kulgam has been asked to conduct the inquiry and submit report in one week. He said that post-mortem of the woman has been conducted and initial reports say that she died of heart attack. He, however, said that post-mortem report is awaited.
A police spokesman while giving details of the incident said here that last night, Kulgam police and 9 Rashtriya Rifles of Army on a tip off regarding presence of militants in the house of Ghulam Qadir Ganie at village Chidar, Kulgam laid a cordon around the house including a few adjacent houses.
The police spokesman said that search operation was started in the cordoned houses. “The house of late Ali Mohammad Dar was outside the cordon and search. Later it was revealed that Nazeera Bano, 60, wife of late Ali Mohammad Dar complained of ill health and was rushed to the hospital where doctors declared her dead. The house where the woman resided was not in the cordon area, and no search was being or intended to be carried in that house. The body was handed over to her legal hairs after the completion of post mortem and other legal formalities”, the spokesman added.
However, locals alleged that woman died after a joint party of Police and Army conducted the overnight raid of her house last night. Locals alleged that the woman resisted their entry into her house which led to her death.
Locals said that at around 11:30 p.m. after hearing noise they came out and found that the security forces personnel carrying Nazeera in unconscious condition.
“They also smashed the window panes of several other houses in the neighbourhood including the house of the deceased woman,” said a local.
As soon as the news of the death of the woman spread in the area, hundreds of people came out and protested against her death. Demanding stern action against the security personnel responsible for the death of the woman, protesters came out on main road at village Khudwani and blocked it.
Protestors clashed with police and security forces and pelted stones at them. Police charged batons and fired tear smoke shells and resorted to aerial firing. The clashes continued for nearly an hour resulting into the injuries to several people including CRPF and police personal.
In order to control the situation and stop clashes spreading to the other areas, authorities imposed curfew like restrictions in village Khudwani, Quimu and Redwani areas of the district.
A Srinagar based Defence Spokesman said here: “The Army was nowhere involved in the death of lady, which happened at Chidura, Kulgam.”
The local MLA Kulgam and CPIM State Secretary, Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami has described the death of the woman an unfortunate incident. He demanded a time bound magisterial inquiry into the incident to find out the truth. “The incident is highly condemnable and a stern action under law must be taken against the culprits”, he demanded.
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