The J&K Police said on Friday that it was constrained to “hurl” teargas to disperse protesting Kashmiri Pandits for their “security”.
“Today at about 1100 hours protesters who were protesting against yesterday's killing of an employee (Rahul Bhat) at Chadoora had blocked the main Sheikhpora Budgam road since yesterday afternoon suddenly started moving towards Airport road,” a police spokesman said in a statement.
“Although the magistrate repeatedly requested and tried to pacify the protesters not to proceed towards the very busy and over crowded Airport road, however, protesters while ignoring such persuasions and repeated requests from the administration, kept on moving towards the said road while forcibly breaking all the physical barriers en-route and pushing the police & Security Forces who were peacefully trying to persuade/stop them from moving ahead.”
Police said the protesters were “adamant to block the Airport road and did not pay any heed and instead managed to travel a distance of about one kilometre from Sheikhpora, the spokesperson said.
“Given the topography of the area and huge rush at the Airport road there were inputs that (militants) may take advantage of the same and may attack the protesters in order to create communal clash/tension,” he said.
“Therefore in view of this, while sensing the security of the protesters who had resorted to violence and neglected the pacification requests by administration and to thwart evil designs of ANEs, police were constrained to finally hurl few teargas smokes to disperse them,” it said.
”However, the spokesperson said, the protesters again re-assembled at Sheikhpora road and sat on protest and blocked the main road. Later on all of them went home.”
Meanwhile, a protest demonstration against the killing of a Kashmiri Pandit was foiled on Thursday by security forces who resorted to teargas shelling to disperse the protesters near Srinagar airport.
Reports said forces resorted to teargas shelling after a massive crowd of protesters comprising Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims from Sheikpura Colony and its adjoining areas marched towards the airport to seek justice for Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit who was shot dead by Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists at Tehsil office in Budgam’s Chadoora locality on Thursday.
Reports said that the protestors raised slogans against the administration’s alleged failure to protect the lives of Kashmiri Pandit’s while demanding strict punishment for the culprits involved in the killing of Rahul Bhat. They demanded LG Sinha to come to the site of the protest but the LG was on an official visit to Sopore.
Protests broke out against the targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits in other parts of Valley also, including in Anantnag, where protesters demanded safety from the administration. “We were left with no option other than to march towards Srinagar airport,” one of the protestors said.
“The central government has failed to deliver on its promises. It has failed to protect us, said another protester.
Protests were also reported from the Sheikhpora area of Budgam, Qazigund and Mattan areas of Anantnag district and Srinagar’s Indira Nagar locality.
Employees from various public offices in Anantnag, traders association and civil society members today held a candle light march here at Lal Chowk Anantnag. The march was organised against the civilian killings in the valley and in solidarity with the victims' families.
The march, which witnessed heavy participation of people from all communities, was held from Lal Chowk to the DC Office with participants holding candles to express sympathy with the victim's family over the killings.
The participants held placards demanding an end to civilian killings. The candles were lit in Lal Chowk to express condolence and solidarity with bereaved families. Society unequivocally condemned the gruesome killings and demanded an end to violence and bloodshed.