M A I N   N E W S

Police van kills father, son in Srinagar
Cops open fire to disperse protesting crowd

Two policemen and a fireman were injured in arson and stone-pelting by the mob, Kashmir Inspector-General of Police S. M. Sahai said. The erring driver, Tejinder Singh, had been arrested and a case registered against him, he added.

Imtiyaz Ahmad Bhat was killed while his father Ali Mohammad Bhat seriously injured when the speeding police vehicle hit their motor cycle near the Nowgam bypass this morning, official sources said. Ali Mohammad was rushed to a nearby hospital but he succumbed to his injuries, they added.

Residents of the neighbouring areas took to the streets to protest against the incident and torched the police vehicle. The public was agitated over the behaviour of the erring policemen who tried to flee the scene, leaving the victims unattended.

The protesters took Imtiyaz’s body to Bone and Joint Hospital where he worked as a nursing orderly. They then blocked the road leading to Srinagar Airport and some other areas of the city to demand arrest of the guilty police driver.

On the alleged police high-handedness with protestors, Mr Sahai said any police personnel exceeding his brief will be dealt with as per the law. Miscreants who indulged in unlawful activities will also be dealt similarly, he added.

Resident of Nowgam and adjoining areas alleged that police entered their houses and beat them up without provocation.

Meanwhile, the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference condemned the police action against the protesters.

Hurriyat leaders Zafar Akbar Bhat and Abdul Manan Bukhari, who were among the protestors, criticised the security forces for their “high-handedness and negligence.” — PTI