Irshad Hussain/ Yasir Yousuf
A Srinagar-based couple was severely injured after their car collided with an armed forces’ vehicle, minutes later when their kith and kin were on the way to rescue the couple, they were allegedly assaulted by Forces in Srinagar late on Thursday evening.
On Thursday, around 8:30 pm in the Humhama area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district, a vehicle of the forces clashed with the couple’s car.
The accident took place near the Police Headquarters, Humhama, The vehicle allegedly fled from the spot and left the injured couple on their own.
The injured couple’s son talked to The Kashmiriyat about the accident and said that the truck hit the car from behind. “The car overturned after the forces’ vehicle hit and rolled over on the other side hitting a divider,” Mukhtar (name changed) told The Kashmiriyat.
He also said that there was an influx of traffic as a lot of vehicles were coming in the opposite direction. He added that the impact of the collision was such that the car was now partially damaged.
“When I received a call from my mother’s number, she was crying and she told us about the accident,” he said. He narrated further, “I decided to go to the spot with my friends in order to retrieve my injured parents.”
But things happened such that “It was around 9:30, we had just finished the Eid Ghadeer celebrations when we were stopped by the forces and beaten on the way to the spot of the accident. I was dragged out of the car near Airport Road, Humhama and the forces started thrashing me without any provocation. When my friends came to my rescue, they too were severely trashed by the Force personnel.”
They were abused and beaten by the forces. He said that he pleaded with the forces to not beat them for no reason at all. He also told the forces that they had to reach the spot where his parents had met with an accident.
“It looked like they were beating to kill us, and at the top of it, they were abusing us constantly,” Mukhtar told The Kashmiriyat.
The trio has sustained wounds during the thrashing. All of them are bedridden with visible marks of the assault on their bodies.
“I thank the locals for helping my parents who were in a critical condition,” he said.
The Kashmiriyat contacted a police official at Humama Police Chowki, who said that they had not received any complaint regarding any accident. He also added that once a complaint is registered, the police will act accordingly.