SRINAGAR: The paramilitary CRPF or Central Reserve Police Force have fired into the air to disperse protestors gathered outside their camp in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Residents said they threw stones at the camp in Hiller village demanding that the CRPF hand over an unidentified man who ran inside the camp while being chased.
They told FreePress over phone that there had been a ghost scare in the area for the past few days and late on Saturday evening, they found out that it was actually a man spreading fear.
The residents said the man, face covered, was chased by villagers who tried to catch him until he allegedly went inside the camp. “We told the CRPF to hand him over to us, but they fired their guns,” said Abdul Rehman, a local.
He said the villagers were still out on the road protesting.
The police have denied reports that the CRPF fired. A police officer, wishing anonymity, said the ghost story was handiwork of miscreants and “walnut thieves”.
“The fact is that the police has come down heavily upon drug peddlers and thieves in the area and adjacent villages. Now they are using these tactics so that they get a free hand to do what they want.”
The police officer also dismissed reports that there had been a murder of a boy in a nearby village. He also termed as rumour reports that there were several kidnapping attempts since then.
“A case has been filed against the newspaper which reported that there had been a murder, when actually there was none.”
