Omar on vacation as Srinagar erupts

Malla is the third person killed by police and security forces in the past nine days in Srinagar,where the governments only response to slogan-shouting and stone-throwing young men has been the use of extreme force. On Sunday also,the governments only reaction was to transfer SSP Javaid Riyaz,hoping his replacement would effectively use police force to quell the protests that are fast spreading.

Omar can run his government from Gulmarg but his return to the health resort while Srinagar was mourning its two young men and the citys two main hospitals were being crowded with wounded protestors strengthens the view that the current government is casual in its approach to deal with the situation. Instead of introducing a less lethal crowd control mechanism in police,the government,it seems,hopes erecting barricades and restricting movement of people would put an end to the cycle of killings .

Earlier,state Law minister Ali Muhammad Sagar had blamed some agencies for creating trouble in Srinagar but had not explained it. The ruling NC had even blamed opposition PDP,as also the separatists,for sponsoring stone-pelting.

Srinagar is tense as both factions of Hurriyat Conference have called a strike on Monday. Fearing large scale protests,police and CRPF have called in additional reinforcements to place strict restrictions on public movement.

Soon after Mallas death,government imposed curfew in downtown city but failed to contain the anger. We received six injured young men. One of them is serious with a head injury caused by a tear smoke canister, Director of Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences,Dr Abdul Hamid Zargar said. We literally are on tenter hooks. We tried our level best to save Rafiq Bangroo too but nothing worked.

Police handed over Bangroos body to his family early Sunday morning. The family decided to bury him in the local graveyard instead of in the martyrs graveyard to avoid confrontation with the forces.  At around 8 am,mourners returning from the funeral attacked a CRPF bunker at Waniyar in Noorbagh. Bangroos friends and relatives had alleged that CRPF men from the same bunker had beaten him last Friday. CRPF men opened fire,killing Malla and wounding six mourners.

We were expecting stone pelting and had ordered maximum restraint from our personnel, CRPFs PRO Prabhakar Tripathi said. The protestors,however,attacked a mobile bunker (vehicle). There were four personnel inside. When they (protestors) tried to set the vehicle on fire,our men jumped out and escaped. CRPF men nearby had to open fire to control the mob.

With the killing of Malla,the death toll in police and CRPF action on protestors this year has risen to seven. Meanwhile,the government is yet to identify the policemen involved in the killing of 17-year old student Tufail Ahmad Mattoo.