KULGAM: Residents in Kulgam district of south Kashmir have accused paramilitary CRPF soldiers of going berserk and damaging property after protests, triggering panic in the area.
A shutdown was observed in the area over killing of four persons, including at least three civilians, in nearby Shopian district on Saturday.
A local news agency, CNS reports angry youth tried to set fire to a CRPF picket during protests.
It says that soon after, frenzied CRPF personnel beat up “whosoever came in their way” – pedestrians, even non-local labourers. They also smashed window panes of vehicles parked on the road.
“A video posted by a Kulgam resident on Social Networking Site, Facebook, (did) show CRPF men thrashing locals and smashing the side mirror of a load carrier,” the CNS writes. FreePress could not verify the contents of the video.
It was the timely action by police officials that people were saved from the “wrath of visibly angry” CRPF men, the CNS writes.
The CRPF personnel have also been accused of harassing media persons.
“My camera was snatched and all the photographs which I had shot were deleted. They hurled abuses on us and barred us from covering their atrocities,” a photojournalist working for a local Daily told the news agency.
A resident said “It was only in the presence of police officers that people dared to walk along the road again.”
When contacted, Public Relations Officer, CRPF, Kishore Prasad told CNS that CRPF personnel could have been “compelled” to act this way.
“Some youth set the net covering the Bunker on fire. CRPF acted to disperse those youth,” he said.
Also Read: Who Said CRPF Follows SOP in Kashmir?
