People demand power, get lathis

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 6/18/2013 11:36:30 PM

7 persons, 3 cops, Tehsildar injured in clashes in Bijbehara

SRINAGAR, June 18 :Several persons were injured in Kannelwan village of Bijbehara today when police allegedly resorted to tear gas shelling and cane charge to disperse the villagers who were protesting against messy power scenario in the area.
Reports and eyewitnesses said that people from Kannelwan village assembled in large numbers this morning and blocked the Bijbehara-Langanbal road in protest against the shortage of electricity and fatty bills dispatched to them by the Power Development Department (PDD).
“As the traffic including scores of tourist vehicles came to a halt on the road, a huge contingent of police headed by SDPO Bijbehara, reached the spot and asked the protesters to disperse. On the refusal of the protestors to disperse, policemen resorted to baton charge and tear gas shelling to quell them resulting into the injuries to several people,” eyewitnesses said. The injured were taken to sub-district hospital Bijbehara.
They said that angered over the police action protestors resorted to heavy stone pelting at police men triggering fierce clashes between the two. “During the clashes three policemen and and Tehsildar Bijbehara were also injured,” eyewitnesses said.
The clashes eyewitnesses said continued for at least half-an-hour.
Police, eyewitnesses said, also stopped and thrashed a motorcycle born youth who was passing through at the time of clashes. “The biker, identified as Wakil Ahmed Wani son of Ghulam Mohammad Wani from Wularhama Pahalgam received head critical injuries and was immediately shifted to SKIMS,” eyewitnesses said.
Protestors alleged that police resorted to lathicharge on them without any provocation.
“We hardly see power for five hours and for last one month our village has been reeling under complete darkness. But the PDD dispatched us fatty bills with out any power supply. We were protesting peacefully against this injustice but the police resorted to cane charge on us without any provocation. Now we are not being allowed to protest against basic amenities,” a protestor told Kashmir Times over phone.
Additional deputy commissioner , G M Dar, eyewitnesses said, later visited the spot and assured the protestors of addressing their grievances with regard to power supply. He also assured them of probe into the police action.
A police officer posted in the area said that the protestors had halted scores of local and tourist vehicles. “We rushed to the spot and tried to convince them but they refused to move. They instead pelted stones at us resulting into the injuries to three cops and Tehsildar. We had to resort to mild lathicharge to disperse them . We cannot afford to put our guests visiting the valley for tour at inconvenience,” the police officer said.
He denied having used any force on the protestors.
NC leader and MLC, Bashir Ahmad Veeri accused the local PDD officials of misusing their chairs and provoking the people to come on roads. “The PDD officials install meters in your areas and then send you the flat rate bills. They do everything as per their will. They provoke the people to come on streets. All the top officials of the area keep their phones either switched off or don’t attend phone. So people are left with no option but to take to streets,” Veeri said.

 

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