The family members of an elderly man who was killed in a shootout in Sopore town of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Wednesday alleged that he was “brought down from his car and shot dead by the CRPF personnel”, even as the police and the paramilitary force denied the allegations while claiming that he was killed in firing by the militants.
Besides the civilian, identified as 60-year-old Bashir Ahmad Khan, a CRPF trooper was also killed and three others wounded in the attack that took place today morning in Model Town area.
In several videos which have gone viral on social media platforms, especially Twitter, the sons of the deceased alleged that their father was “dragged out of his car” and shot dead by the CRPF personnel, who were “angered” by the attack.
Khan, as per news agency KINS, had left from his Mustafa Abad residence for Sopore along with his three-year-old grandson for work today morning.
A photo of a young boy sitting on a man’s body, his white shirt soaked with blood, was widely circulated on social media, reported news agency PTI.
Both the police and the CRPF have denied the allegations and instead blamed the militants for Khan’s death.
SSP Sopore Javid Iqbal said the civilian was killed in firing by the militants. “Police also rescued his 3-year-old grandson,” he was quoted as having said by KINS.
JKP #rescued a three years old boy from getting hit by bullets during #terrorist #attack in #Sopore. @JmuKmrPolice pic.twitter.com/hzqGGvG7yN
— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) July 1, 2020
The paramilitary force, in a statement issued in Delhi, said the violent incident began when its troops started getting down from their bus at the location to “occupy their respective spots of deployment.”
“Militants hiding in the attic of a nearby mosque started firing indiscriminately on the troops resulting in injuries to four CRPF personnel,” it said, as per PTI news agency.
“A civilian vehicle which was coming from Sopore and going towards Kupwara was caught in the firing range of the militants.”
The statement further said that an old man who was driving the vehicle stopped the car and got down from the vehicle to move away to a safe spot but got killed by militants’ firing.