Villagers in Dooru in the south Kashmir district of Anantnag protested today against last night’s killing of a girl by an Army jawan posing as a militant.The jawan’s dead body was found this morning in a field near the girl’s house. It is still not certain if he was shot dead by CRPF personnel on patrol in the area as he allegedly fled the area, chased by villagers. A defence public relations officer has said investigations show the soldier killed himself.A masked Rajinder Singh, a trooper of the Rashtriya Rifles, burst into the house of Mohammad Akbar Dar at Roshanabad in Dooru last night. Pretending to be a militant, he demanded food and shelter. Despite repeated appeals from the Dars, Singh refused to leave and allegedly tried to molest Dar’s daughter, Zahida Akhter.“His intentions weren’t good. He forced his entry into the house and tried to molest the girl,” a villager said. An angry Zahida scuffled with Singh, who shot her accidentally and stabbed her before allegedly rushing out of the house. The girl was rushed to Anantnag hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.Locals say a fleeing Singh was probably mistaken for a militant by the CRPF and shot dead.As Zahida’s body reached her native village, the villagers protested the killing and shouted slogans against the Army, demanding an independent inquiry into the incident. Senior civil and police officers and the commanding officer of Rashtriya Rifles had to visit the place to calm the locals down.Admitting that Singh was guilty, Defence PRO, Colonel V K Batra, said: “We have ordered an inquiry. We will see how the soldier left his post during the night.”The PRO said the jawan killed Zahida in a panic and later committed suicide. “The soldier barged into the house of Akbar Dar and was confronted by the girl there. They had an altercation, during which accidental fire from his rifle hit the girl’s hand. The girl’s mother raised an alarm, which rattled the soldier, who stabbed her.”
