Protests in Kashmir after student killed in Army operation

The killing triggered protests in Chogal as residents demanded arrest of the Army personnel involved in the incident,they said.

The family members of the youth alleged that he was taken out of the house by the soldiers and severely tortured,resulting in his death.

The protesters relented only after top civil and police officials assured the residents that a case will be filed against the concerned army unit.

Later,a case under section 302 Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) was registered against the 4 Para unit of the Army,sources said adding the residents then laid Magray’s body to rest.

Regretting the loss of life in the operation,Defence spokesman Lt Col J S Brar said in a statement here that based on specific intelligence about movement of militants,Army troops had laid an ambush last night to trap them.

At around 2230 hours,the troops detected suspicious movement of two persons towards the ambush.

“As per the Standing Operative Procedures,the troops challenged the individuals to surrender. Both the individuals paid no heed and attempted to run away under the cover of darkness. The troops opened fire resulting in fatal injuries to Manzoor Ahmad Magray while the other unidentified person escaped,” Col Brar said.

Although the troops strictly adhered to the procedures,the Army regrets the loss of life,more so,as the year has been declared by the Army as the year of the ‘Kashmiri Awam’,he said.

“We deeply and sincerely express our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family,” he said.

Meanwhile,condemning the killing of the youth,Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the incident could have been avoided if a “suggestion” made by him at a meeting of the Unified Headquarters had been implemented.

He,however,did not elaborate as to what the suggestion was.

This is second incident of a civilian getting killed in Kupwara district in as many months. An unidentified youth was allegedly shot dead by security forces at Warnaw in Lolab area of Kupwara on January 4.

Main opposition PDP lashed out at the Omar Abdullah government over the incident,saying it has failed to “control the killing of innocent civilians at the hands of security forces.”

“Killing of innocent has been going unabated and the government has been brazenly indulged into farcical tactics,” PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti said in a statement.

She “regretted” that it is “unfortunate” that while the “count of dead,mostly youngsters,keeps mounting” the state government is “busy in deceiving people” in the name of filing FIRs.

“Over 120 innocent persons have been killed by the security forces during the last few months but action has not taken against any person so far,” she said while referring to the civilian deaths during the last year’s summer unrest.

“Ruling dispensation is content with enjoying frills of power without any accountability for continuing killings and atrocities,” she alleged.

The PDP leader also accused the state government of being an “insensitive and heartless regime”.