Villagers seek 'pardon' for policemen

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR, SEPT. 8. Many questions are being asked on the action initiated by the Government against the police personnel who lost their weapons to militants in Dooru last Monday. Apparently, they could not react to the militants' action. They were sent to Batagund as part of the security cover for the Additional Deputy Commissioner, who had gone there to listen to the problems of the villagers.

Police have been the target of militants after other security forces, and this incident was the first of its kind. But the complexities involved were far serious.

The District Superintendent of Police has discharged the four policemen who were accompanying the Station House Officer of Dooru, Mr. Ghulam Haider Khan. Action against the SHO is expected shortly.

But a ``sympathy wave'' is seen for the ``erring'' policemen from all sides, with the villagers of Batagund too supporting them. An epidemic had broken out in the village and the official team had gone there to take stock of the situation when the militants came there and threatened them. The villagers pleaded with them to show ``mercy'' on the officials as they had come to listen to their problems. The militants then left without harming anyone but took away the weapons of the policemen.

The villagers have been frequenting the district police office in Anantnag pleading for ``mercy'' for the policemen. ``They saved us from a possible massacre,'' Mohammad Amin, a resident said, adding, ``every villager is praying for the policemen as they did the right thing.''

The villagers argued that 200 lives were more precious than the guns. They said that the National Conference Government should be thankful to the policemen for avoiding a gunfight.

The ADC, who was officiating as the Deputy Commissioner, had advised the SHO against opening fire - this has been mentioned in some news reports - but he is reported to have changed his stand. Two of the four AK rifles snatched by the militants were recovered from a militant killed in an encounter in Kokernag the other day.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : BSF-BDR meeting
Next     : CBI arrests businessman for forgery