Stone throwers kill a youth in Kashmir

Stone-pelters have claimed first casualty in the current unrest after an auto rickshaw load-carrier driver, who was hit by a stone on Friday, succumbed to his wounds in Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) on Monday evening.

Police have registered a case of murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and arrested four alleged stone throwers so far. Massive hunt has been launched to nab two more stone throwers who are on the run.

Police said Riyaz Ahmad Khanday, 23, had received serious head injuries when a mob of stone throwers stoned his vehicle during hartal near Tikbagh-Mattan in Anantnag district on March 8.  He was immediately shifted to SKIMS for treatment where he succumbed on Monday evening.

“On Friday stone pelters started pelting stones on the vehicles at Tikibagh, Mattan who were defying the hartal call (issued by Majlis Mashawarat, an amalgam of separatists groups spearheading the ongoing agitation). They hurled stones on Khanday’s Load Carrier causing grievous injuries to him. He was shifted to Anantnag Hospital from where he was referred to SKIMS. He succumbed to his wounds on Monday evening”, a police spokesman said.

Police have registered a case and identified six people responsible for the incident.  “Four accused Mohammad Iqbal Najar, Aamir Hussain Najar, Aamir Bashir Malik, a B.Ed student, and Sartaj Ahmad Wagay were arrested on Sunday. They have been remanded to police custody for seven days”, the spokesman said.

Police said two more accused are yet to be arrested for which efforts are on. “Further investigation of the case is going on. Residents of Ahang-Matipora protested against the stone pelters and demanded action against culprits”, the police spokesman said.

Senior police and civil administration officers visited the house of Khanday and presented an amount of Rs one lakh ex-gratia and fifty thousands from Red Cross to the family of deceased.

With Khanday’s killing the death in the current unrest has reached to five. Two people were shot dead allegedly by the security forces in north Kashmir while two others drowned after they were allegedly chased by the forces during a protest demonstration in central Kashmir.

Separatists including Majlis Mashwarat were tightlipped over this incident. Till late Tuesday evening they did not issue any statement over the klling of innocent youth.