Srinagar, Oct 23: The residents and traders of Saraf Kadal area in Shahr-e-Khaas are up in arms against the government for “undue victimization of the innocent people in the garb of teargas shelling on protesters.”
 The complainants said it had become almost a routine that after Friday congregational Salah pitched-battles erupt between group of protesters and security forces in the area. And this is when, the complainants said, the police and paramilitary CRPF resort to teargas shelling.
 “For sometime we have observed that the teargas shells are not the routine ones as used to be fired in the past. These are chillier and make one feel uneasy with nausea amid frequent coughing,” said the residents adding pepper gun shelling was being done. Pertinently the weapon was introduced in the City last year during the summer unrest as a “non-lethal weapon” to counter street protests. “We are sure pepper-guns are used in our area,” the complainants insisted.
 The residents said it was illogical on the part of security forces that they use weapons, which put everyone to inconvenience. “If somebody is protesting why should the others be victimized?” argued a gold merchant in the market famous for the ornaments while narrating his woeful tale. The trader said his aged father was a asthma patient adding that the shelling worsens his health condition.
 “We fear that someday our father may die because of this shelling, which almost leaves him half dead… This is injustice with humanity,” he said. Similar were the complaints of a housewife who said her kids start vomiting whenever this shelling takes place.
 When contacted a police official said the security forces make use of non-lethal weapons to counter protests if any.
 “We do resort to teargas shelling but that is the simplest way of dispersing protesters who are hell bent to derail the prevalent peace through stone pelting,” the official said.  “Why have they (protesters) become habitual of resorting to stone pelting?” he said.
 The official, however, refused that pepper gun was being used these days. “We only use teargas shells,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 23 Oct 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 IST