They lead from the front and it shows. 662 Jammu and Kashmir police personnel are counting their injuries received while battling the fury of stone-throwers who have virtually paralysed the Kashmir Valley for the past seven weeks. They have worked in the most trying circumstances without much appreciation.
Bashir Ahmed is deputy superintendent of police in Budgam on the outskirts of Srinagar. Nine days ago a big stone hit him in the leg. The protesters then attacked him with huge sticks and ensured that he sustains a fracture.
Three days from now his daughter is to get married. He is lying in a hospital with his leg in plaster. His best hope is to be able to attend the wedding. Bandipora SP Sheikh Junaid is still sporting four stitches on his forehead. The plight of another senior police officer Mehrajuddin, additional SP of Anantnag, is no different, for he too was injured in the head.
State police chief Kuldeep Khoda went round two hospitals here to enquire about the health of his men. He appreciated the restraint they had shown under the most difficult circumstances. Notwithstanding the injuries, he found their morale high. The stories of how the state’s police force — whose revival in recent years has been truly remarkable — has been at the receiving end during the current turmoil are many. Besides physical injuries, their families have been threatened and houses attacked.
Take the case of sub-inspector Imtiyaz Ahmed of Srinagar’s Humhama police post. He suffered a broken leg and was hospitalised for several days. Once out, he went back to do his duty when he was struck by more trouble. A police jeep carrying him and his staff was chased by a stone-throwing mob. Trying to avoid a confrontation, Mr Ahmed asked the driver to drive away from the stone-pelters. In the process the vehicle fell into a ditch. He was back in the hospital with an ankle injury.
Bijbehara’s sub-divisional police officer Farooq Zargar is going round with a nose fractured by a stone. He is now in Jammu for treatment.
“It has been a trying time. Our job is to protect our people. But who will protect us,” said a policeman from his hospital bed. In Srinagar district alone, 198 policemen have been injured since June, mostly with head injuries. In Pulwama, another 77 were injured. Overall, more than 600 policemen have been injured in the Valley, many of them having suffered serious wounds.
Besides the stones, petrol bombs are also often used by the rioters. Fourteen government and police buildings, including two police stations and two police posts, which were set on fire, have been damaged in the last five days of protests and violence in Kashmir.
Protesters, during the violence in the last five days, also damaged a police Gypsy at Sheeri in Baramulla and set afire a police vehicle at Samboora in Pampore. A fire tender vehicle was also set ablaze at Lasjan bridge.
The government buildings damaged in the current unrest include a railway station and Horticulture department office at Budgam, forest depot hut at Sangam, BDO office at Pattan and Handicraft building at Zaldagar.