The police has registered three FIRs against BSF officers and jawans in connection with the firing incidents of Thursday. Confirming this, IGP (Jammu range) Rajesh Kumar said three FIRs have been registered against the BSF officials and the police personnel who had fired at the protesters at Gool police station. “We did that on complaints from locals. The FIRs have been registered under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code and other relevant laws,” the officer said. The BSF is also contemplating filing a counter FIR against the people who, it alleged, attacked its camp and tried to storm the armoury.
Earlier, Ramban DC Sham Vinod Veena was in a swift action removed and attached to the state’s general administration department following complaints from eyewitnesses that he instigated the BSF and police to open fire. Chief minister Omar Abdullah had condemned the firing, saying, it was “highly unacceptable to shoot at unarmed protesters”.
On Friday, the state Cabinet, which met here under the CM’s chairmanship, condemned the “use of excessive force” and extended condolences to the bereaved families and sympathies to those injured in the firing incident. The Cabinet also extended “extraordinary” ex gratia of `5 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in the firing incidents. It ordered government jobs for a family member of each of those killed. Following violent protests along stretches of the Jammu-Srinagar highway, the 300-km vital surface link connecting the Valley with Jammu and beyond remained closed for the second day on Friday. Hundreds of Amarnath pilgrims who had arrived in Jammu in the past 24 hours have also been stopped “as a precautionary measure”. However, those who had already reached the base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam were allowed to begin their walk to the cave shrine. “No fresh batch has been allowed to move to the Valley from Jammu today (Friday) as a precautionary measure,” a police officer said. Over 2.50 lakh pilgrims have already participated in this year’s yatra. An official spokesperson in Srinagar said that “due to the prevailing situation and restrictions imposed in the Valley”, the Amarnath yatra would remain suspended for Saturday as well.
Major towns of the Kashmir Valley were placed under indefinite curfew on Friday morning to hold back protests as separatist parties had called for shutdowns and protests for three days. Almost all separatist leaders have been placed under house arrest or detained at police stations. Protests by people against Thursday’s killings have also been reported from various places in Jammu region’s Chenab valley and Poonch and Rajouri districts. In Jammu, Muslims took out processions from local mosques after the Friday congregations demanding stern action under the law against the BSF and police personnel.
The police initially said five persons were killed in Thursday’s firing incidents but revised the figure to four later. Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said on micro-blogging site Twitter, “As deeply as I regret yesterday’s deaths the inaccurate reporting of death tolls is unprofessional and certainly doesn’t help us on the ground. We have had four deaths, not six or seven as some channels/websites are insisting and all injured are stable and out of danger.” He also said, “Even four is far too many. It would certainly be expected from nationally reputed news sites that they would make an effort to report accurate news and not rumours.”
Officials said 10 policemen and seven CRPF jawans were also injured in mob violence on Friday.