CRPF vehicle attacked by mob, allegedly runs over two men in J&K, one dies

The CRPF vehicle was reportedly stuck amid a protesting mob when the incident took place.

SRINAGAR: A 21-year-old youth who was allegedly run over by a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) vehicle on Friday, succumbed to his injuries on Saturday. The deceased, Kaiser Ahmad, was admitted to Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura after he was run by a CRPF vehicle in Nowhatta area on Friday. The vehicle was stuck amid a protesting mob when the incident took place. Police said there was no deployment in the area on Friday as the authorities had decided to ease tension in the area during Friday's congregational prayers.

However, after the Friday prayers culminated at the Jamia Masjid, a group of youth reportedly started pelting stones on the security forces. Police said that the forces fired tear shells to chase away the protestors. Some protestors attacked a vehicle of the security forces which had taken a wrong turn and crossed paths with the mob while it was reportedly going for another assignment. The vehicle hit two youngsters from the mob, leaving them injured. The injured were taken to SKIMS hospital in Soura for treatment.

There is no clarity over the sequence of events.

There has been outrage over the incident from all quarters. Hitting out at the state government, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said: 'ceasefire means no guns so use jeeps'. He tweeted: "Earlier they tied people to the fronts of jeeps and paraded them around villages to deter protesters. Now they just drive their jeeps right over protestors. Is this your new SOP @MehboobaMufti sahiba?"

Earlier they tied people to the fronts of jeeps & paraded them around villages to deter protestors now they just drive their jeeps right over protestors. Is this your new SOP @MehboobaMufti sahiba? Ceasefire means no guns so use jeeps? https://t.co/42W6vGAPVi

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 1, 2018

National Conference leader Junaid Azim Mattu also termed the incident as 'haunting'. "The images of a man being run over by a CRPF gypsy are haunting. The gypsy was attacked - that's a fact - yes. However, it's a failure of the local police in the area to have allowed a CRPF gypsy to pass through an almost 200 strong hostile crowd. Extremely unfortunate," he tweeted.

"Extremely extremely unfortunate! You get the mainstream parties to support a half-baked ceasefire demand (which amounted to precious little) and then people are mowed down by cars in Ramzan as the local police is caught napping! Who do you blame this on Madam CM? Introspect!!!," he added.