The residents of Soibugh village in central Kashmir’s Budgamdistrict on Sunday held a protest against the arrests and alleged beating ofyouth by the army on Friday following the killing of militant commander ZakirMusa.
Reports said that the soldiers of army camp at adjoiningDaharmuna village detained seven youth on Friday after the youth pelted themwith stones following the reports of killing of Musa.
Local news gathering agency GNS said the residents staged aprotest against the arrest of seven teenage boys, two of them let off ininjured condition by the army.
One of the injured has been referred from SMHS to SKIMSSoura and his condition is stated to be critical.
The protesters said that when they urged army to release theminor boys they were told that they have been handed over to Police.
“We requested army to release these boys being very youngbut instead they kept them captive. Last night two of them, Fazil Fayaz Malik(14) son of Fayaz Ahmad Malik of Hatharan Soibugh and Hamidullah Sheikh son ofGulzar Ahmad Sheikh of Dharmuna were handed over to the respective families incritical condition,” the report said while quoting a protester.
Both of them were shifted to nearby hospital from were Fazilwas shifted to SMHS while Hamidullah was referred to JVC Bemina.
Owing to critical injuries in head, Fazil was later referredto SKIMS Soura for advanced treatment.
The doctors told us that there is coagulation of blood inhis head and he was immediately operated upon. The doctors told us that next 72hours are crucial for Fazil, Fazil’s relatives, who were part of the protest,said.
Medical Superintendent, SKIMS Dr Farooq Jan when contactedby the GNS said that the condition of the boy is very critical and he ispresently on ventilator with double support.
“He is very critical. Basically he had head injury andcontusion in brain which has been evacuated. Presently he is on ventilator buton double support,” Dr Jan said.
However, when contacted concerned Station House Officer(SHO) Mohd Rafiq Shah told GNS that army handed over three boys to the policewho are very much with them.
Asked about allegations by the locals that two boys werebeaten to pulp by the army before being handed over to their respectivefamilies, the officer said that “details in this regard are being ascertained”.
Army’s Srinagar based spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia told GNSthat he will look into the incident. “Since you have brought the incident intomy notice I will see to it,” the spokesman said.