MUZAFFARABAD: More details are now available of the recent firing by the Sadiq police in village Charagam, about seven miles from Anantnag in occupied Kashmir. One Kashmiri Muslim was killed and another critically injured during the fire.

According to a report received here today [Jan 10] from across the cease-fire line, the police officer, Jawaharlal, along with his force, raided the house of one Hamid Mir under the pretext that he had slaughtered a cow on the occasion of his daughter’s marriage. When the owner of the house pleaded his ignorance about the incident the police officer demanded money as a bribe.

Hamid Mir refused to pay anything. In the meantime Hamid started criticising the police officer for misuse of his official position. By way of retaliation the police officer ordered his constable, Nath Ram, to open fire. As a result Hamid died on the spot and another member of the family, Aziz got critically wounded.

After this ruthless murder of an innocent Muslim the report says, the residents of the village started running to an adjoining village. But in the meanwhile a few young Muslims appeared on the scene and all the villagers with the dead body of Hamid left for Schopian in a procession. They shouted slogans “police raj murdabad, Sadiq Wazarat murdabad” and “Islam Zindabad”. There were also women in the procession who were wailing and lamenting.

The procession was cordoned off by a contingent of police at a bridge near village Taranj. The body was snatched away from the mourners and the entire area was surrounded by the police till it received reinforcements from Srinagar. The body of Hamid was brought to the village under the cover of night and buried under the supervision of a police contingent. Namaz-e-Janaza was offered by Hakeem Ghulam Nabi.

Published in Dawn January 11th, 2017