Sajad Hameed
The inconsolable women, here, have not merely gathered to mourn a death, they have congregated here to recite the elegies against an unending cycle of violence that has resulted into deaths of hundreds of civilians across the Kashmir valley, these women gathered at the house of Peer Mehraj u Din in Budgam thumping their bosom, pounding their foreheads perhaps conveys a message, “the global community must hear us out,” said Shabeena, one of the mourning woman.
ALSO READ:Yet Another Civilian Killed in Forces Firing Kashmir
Shabeena is among the dozens of other women who have left their household work and come here with a creeping disquiet over the death of 26-year old, Peer Mehraj who was working with Khidmat Centre- an initiative of Kashmir’s major bank- JKB.
Peer Mehraj survived by old-aged father, a brother and two younger sisters left his home early morning on Wednesday promising his family that, he would soon return. “He went to drop his uncle who works in the Jammu Kashmir Police, and had promised his family that he would return soon”, his 22-year old cousin told The Kashmiriyat.
The Police in its official statement had said that Mehraj was killed after he refused to stop at two check points enacted by the paramilitary troopers in the Narbal area of this Central Kashmir district, the family calls this allegation as ‘baseless’, stating that the eyewitnesses informed the family that Mehraj was on the other side of the checkpoint.
“An Army convoy, at the same point in time, was passing through the adjacent road, fearing a sabotage, the CRPF man, stationed at this Naka, fired warning shots”. This civil car was driving in the wrong direction of the road, which officials say, was more, alarming. Despite warning shots, this ‘WagonR’car did not stop, the jawan fired at the car and in turn, the driver was hit on his left shoulder.”
A Police official speaking to The Kashmiriyat said that the CRPF men tried to stop the WagonR car at two Nakas earlier, they did not, so the CRPF men assuming danger at the third Naka fired upon the vehicle, resulting to injuries to Mehraj, who was shifted to a hospital in Srinagar.
“He was brought dead to the hospital, he had wounds in his chest and shoulders,” a doctor told The Kashmiriyat. When his body drenched in blood, reached the courtyard of his abode here in Budgam, women and men in hurdles, broke down, a stream of tears gathered, a cloud of gloom gripped the area. “You cannot break your promise, my dear son,” an inconsolable woman, in the midst of a gathering of women wailed.
Amid sobs and dirges, the promise was broken, Mehraj was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard in Makhama area of Budgam. Mehraj’s uncle and younger brother work for the Jammu Kashmir Police and his father is a retired Government employee.
The news of the killing spread like wildfire, evoking massive protests, stone throwing clashes were also witnessed at Police where Government Forces used tear smoke shells to disperse the protesters, internet services were soon snapped across this Central Kashmir district.
“It is high time for the world to wipe our tears, we want peace and not be buried under the narratives of nationalism and terrorism, we crave for peace in our lives, we cannot see deaths everyday, it may be a high-time that the world listens to the escalating human rights violations in Kashmir,” a protester Mohammed Ramzan said.
Political Parties Condemn
The Peoples Democratic Party condemning the killing said that shooting a civilian dead cannot be how a democracy operates. “Eagerness of few trigger happy individuals to replicate Delhi Police model of destruction and violence in Budgam is detestable. An inquiry should be initiated and guilty taken to task,” the party said in a tweet.
The National Conference leader and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the incident “very unfortunate”. He said the circumstances surrounding the shooting should be impartially investigated and the findings must be publicized.
Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference while demanding an impartial probe termed the killing as senseless act of violence.