In Kashmir, a hate campaign against cops

The Kashmir situation has taken a new turn with police becoming the main target of protesters. There have also been calls for their social boycott, reports Rashid Ahmad.

The Kashmir situation has taken a new turn with police becoming the main target of protesters. There have also been calls for their social boycott.

HT Image

The local population is angry for the police’s “brutal conduct against their own people”.

State police has been active alongside the CRPF to crush protests in Kashmir over the past four days, which left 23 dead and around 200 injured. Incidentally, the contingent that fired on the “cross-LOC” marchers in Uri on August 10 was led by a local —Khursheed Khan, station house officer of Sheeri police station. Senior Hurriyat leader Shaikh Aziz and two others were killed in the incident. Mirwaiz Ummer Farooq said “it was a target killing”.

Hundreds of people attacked Khan’s residence in Baramullah and torched it. They also torched Sheeri police station. Several such incidents have been reported across the Valley.

People at Handwara have called for a social boycott of cops and their relatives. Residents of Srinagar’s Raj Bagh locality took out a protest march on Wednesday, asking the police “whether they stand for India or for their people in Kashmir”. This is in stark contrast to 1990, when militancy erupted. Police then were seen as “friendly”. Hundreds of cops had resigned and joined militancy.