Srinagar, Sept 6: Furious over the ‘unprovoked’ attack on the Imaam of a local Masjid, the residents of the Batmaloo are demanding the removal of the CRPF bunker from the locality even as the overnight protests continued on Monday against the incident.

 The CRPF picket is an unusual one, perched on the sixth floor of the shopping complex. The entire shopping complex is occupied by the paramilitary.

 “It is the CRPF men from that bunker who have made our life hell. They pelt stones on the residential houses. They even hurl marbles using sling shots,” locals said.

 On Sunday evening, they said there wasn’t any protest or stone pelting.
 “The CRPF men from the bunker hurled stones on the residential houses just minutes before Taraweeh prayers. Several stones smashed the windowpanes and landed inside my room. A stone also hit my one-year old son, Tahaan, who was asleep,” said, S M Yaseen, the Imaam of the Bazaar Masjid, Batmaloo.
 This incident infuriated the locals who staged pro-freedom protests which continued till late night. They offered Traweeh prayers at 10.30 pm in the night.
 On Monday, scores of people from several localities of Batmaloo and Sheikh Dawood colony poured onto streets and continued the protests.

 Protesters, mainly young boys, pelted stones on the CRPF bunker, overlooking the entire locality.

 CRPF and policemen hurled back the stones at them injuring a civilian, Bashir Ahmad of S D Colony.

 “There is not a single house whose windows are not smashed. Even the Masjid has been attacked and desecrated time and again,” said Nasir Ahmad, a local.
 “We want the bunker to be removed. Its removal has become imperative now. They even attacked our Imaam Sahab,” remarked another youth. “We won’t hold back unless they vacate the whole shopping complex.”

Lastupdate on : Mon, 6 Sep 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 6 Sep 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 7 Sep 2010 00:00:00 IST