Irshad Hussain
As the world was celebrating Christmas Day during the 1990s, Gund Hassi Bhat Srinagar residents were forced to catch the duck in the water pool and to kiss it as a punishment by security forces amid the harsh winter.
The residents allege that when the forces could not track down the Militants in the area after the breakdown of the Amed insurgency in Kashmir, the forces used such harsh tactics as a form of collective punishment to the locals.
It was the time when the security establishments had the challenges of Shia militant outfits across the valley (Hizbul Momineen) a Pakistani-based militant organization that was active during the 1990s.
As the area remained a hotbed of militancy back in those days. Often residents of the Gund Hassi Bhat Srinagar fled away and took refuge in adjacent areas of the village just to protect themselves from the high handedness of security forces during Cordon and search operations.
A resident of Gund Hassi Bhat, who wished not to be named told The Kashmiriyat that on 29 December 1992, forced launched a tight cordon and search operation in their area in which they arrested Mohammed Rajab Reshi, a local militant of the area, who had typhoid at that moment.
Spending some days in the security forces custody, Mohammad Rajab Reshi associated with Hizbul Momineen and died allegedly in an interrogation cell as was reported by Daily Mashriq- a Srinagar based Urdu daily.
As the dead body of Mohammed Rajab Reshi reached the Gund Hassi Bhat, people of the area rushed to his family, consoled, and bade him adieu amid tearful eyes.
Locals of the area alleged that after three days, they arranged all the formalities for his Rasme Charam, and exactly on midnight of 29 December of 1992, they heard multiple gunshots in the area.
On the Rasm e Charam of Mohammed Rajab Reshi, again at around 11AM, the Security forces launched a cordon and search operation which turned into a gun battle with the killing of four militants of the area associated with the same outfit, Hizb ul Momineen.
Locals alleged that on the same day, people were ruthlessly beaten again just for demanding their dead bodies. “On the day, we were forced to remain in the water amid Chilai Kalan days. Don’t ask me what we faced at that moment? ” Abid dar (name changed) told The Kashmiriyat.
As the bottled up anger against the high handedness of security forces with locals burst, they hit the streets and blocked the Srinagar-Baramulla National highway which disrupted the movement of a military convoy.
” After the completion of our protest, forces came again and allegedly beat us and made us catch the ducks in the nearby pond and kiss them,” Abid said, Locals of the area said that they erected their photographs on the epitaphs of their graves for the remembrance.
But after the years, they were removed by forces too. “Till now, we never marked their death anniversary due to fear of security,” they said.