Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Mar 12: A load carrier driver who was injured in stone pelting in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district last week died in Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) hospital late last night.
DIP Vijay Kumar told Excelsior that police have arrested four youth on charges of attacking him while hunt for two others is going on. “The other two will be arrested soon”, he added.
The DIG said that the criminal case registered (FIR No. 12/2013 under Section 147, 148, 149, 341, 336 RPC) at the Mattan Police Station in district Anantnag on March 8 against the six accused has been converted into a murder case now.
Kumar said that 24-year-old load carrier (bearing registration number JK03C/7364) driver, Riyaz Ahmad Khanday of Ahang Matipora in district Anantnag was injured in stone pelting on March 8 when he was carrying cement. He said that Khanday was accompanied by three local labourers and the six accused were identified by these people.
The DIG said that Khanday was intercepted and attacked by a group of youth of village Kralpora Mattan at Tikbagh Mattan at around 8 p.m. for defying a strike call given by separatists. He said that these youth came close to his load carrier and attacked him. “The stone hit him in the head and he was removed to SKIMS hospital in Srinagar for treatment where he died late last night”, he added.
Police identified the four accused as Mohammad Iqbal Najar, 24, son of Abdul Majid resident of Kralpora Mattan; Aamir Hussain Najar, 18, son of Abdul Hameed Najar resident of Kralpora, Aamir Bashir Malik, son of Bashir Ahmad Malik resident of Kralpora and Sartaj Ahmad Wagay son of Ghulam Nabi resident of Kralpora, a shopkeeper. “They were arrested on March 10 and have been remanded to Police custody for 7 days”, police added.
Residents of Ahang Matipora today protested against stone pelters and demanded action against them. A group of angry relatives and neighbours of Khanday who were on way to ransack the houses of six accused were intercepted by police.
Deputy Commissioner Anantnag, Farooq Ahmed Shah, DIG South Kashmir, Vijay Kumar and Senior Superintendent of Police Anantnag visited the family of Khanday. The Deputy Commissioner presented an amount of Rs 1.5 lakhs, one lakh Ex-gratia from Chief Minister’s relief fund and Rs 50, 000 from Red Cross to the family of deceased.
Khanday was the lone bread winner for the family and is survived by his parents, a brother and two sisters.
Police said that some youth appeared in village Nanyil that is adjacent to Ahang Matipora and asked the Headmaster of the High School Nanyil to close the schools in protest against the death of Khanday. Headmaster of the school refused to follow their diktats and the youth pelted stones on the school to force its closure in which a 6th standard girl student, Nehan Akhtar was injured. She was rushed to sub-district Hospital Anantnag for treatment.
In the meantime the DIG said that a Subedar, Ashok Kumar of 12 Sector RR who was returning from leave in a private vehicle on March 8 was injured in stone pelting near petrol pump Bijbehara in district Anantnag. He said that the army officer was critically injured when a stone hit his head.
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