Sikhs clash with police in Srinagar after raid

Express News service

Sriangar, May 27: Police lobbed teargas shells and resorted to lathicharge to disperse angry stone-throwing Sikhs protesting against an overnight raid on the house of a Sikh in Srinagar today. The protestors alleged that police had entered the house at midnight with malafide intentions.

Police had to use force to recover a vehicle captured by residents last night when a police party went there to get a kidnapped girl allegedly confined to an Aloochibagh house, Srinagar SP B. Srinavasan, said.

Giving details, he said, when police went to the area today to retrieve the vehicle, they were pelted with stones and bricks, forcing them to lathicharge the crowd. ‘‘The crowd turned more violent, forcing police to lob teargas shells,’’ he said. Two BSF men and a few policemen were injured, he said. He denied allegations that malafide intentions had prompted yesterday’s raid on a Sikh house. ‘‘Police proceeded to Aloochibagh under proper authority of the court,’’ he said. ‘‘They were in uniform and had one rifle for self-defence.’’
Moreover, the complainant, Lalbzar resident Syed Hussain, had identified the house as the one in which his sister Nuzhat was confined. Police which went to raid Yashpal Singh’s house was nearly lynched by the mob and had to be rescued by the BSF. Their vehicle was badly damaged.

They had gone in search of the girl reported to have eloped with lover Mehrajuddin Bhat, when residents turned on them. They also presented Hussain and nine police personnel including two lady cops, part of the raiding team, before the media.

According to Hussain’s account, his sister Nuzhat, a minor, had eloped with her friend Gulshan’s brother last Monday. ‘‘I approached police and requested them to recover my sister without registering a case. Finally I registered the case at Lalbazar Police station. Still police did not act... I approached the court and got a warrant issued. Yesterday somebody told me that the couple had gone to Chadoora, Budgam for a court marriage... I followed them and came to know they were hiding in a house in Aloochibagh,’’ Hussain said. ‘‘It was 10 at night and I approached Shergarhi police station. They took time to fetch two lady constables from another station. We knocked and a woman shouted from within saying she was alone with her children and refused to open the door,’’ Hussain said.

‘‘The police pushed the door open but in the meantime neighbours assembled. It is a Sikh locality and an elderly person decided the two woman constables would accompany him for the searches. But when the police were about to go in, two or three Sikhs came out and there was mayhem. They beat me as well as the policemen.’’

Police personnel corroborated the story. ‘‘I and my colleague Irshada were to go in for searches. They abused and roughed us up as well,’’ said Mubeena Akhtar, a lady constable, who was part of the raiding party.

But Singh’s relative and neighbour Nikka Singh alleged: ‘‘When the police came at night, they weren’t talking of any girl. They came with malafide intention.’’