Srinagar, 19 May : A seven-year-old girl Simran Reyaz was killed and two other including her brother Fayaz Ahmed Parrey, 5- year lost his legs after the Indian Army's leftover shell went off at Drang area of Tosa Maidan in Badgam.
The Indian Army's leftover shell went off at Drang area of Tosamaidan in Budgam district killed 7-year-old girl Simran and injured two others when they were playing outside her school during lunchtime. Fayaz has lost both of his legs and has been rushed to a hospital in Srinagar
Hundreds of people took to the streets at Khag in Jammu & Kashmir's Budgam district on Thursday demanding action against an Indian Army unit responsible for a seven-year-old girl's death.
Simran Reyaz had died and her brother (5) lost his legs when an unexploded shell went off near the Army's contentious Tosa Maidan artillery firing range.
Tehsildar Mohammad Shafi said the police have lodged an FIR against "unknown forces" till the investigations are completed. "We inspected the spot and talked to people there. We will send the pieces of littered shell to a forensic lab and start investigation once we receive the report," he said. Shafi said an FIR copy was given to the protesters.
State Human Rights Commission separately took cognizance of the explosion on Wednesday and served notices to Jammu & Kashmir police chief, Budgam deputy commissioner and the Indian Army unit that had carried out drills in Tosa Maidan.
The fresh death near Tosa Maidan has intensified debate over the 800 acre artillery firing range that was leased out to the Indian Army in 1964. The authority refused to extend the lease last month as the issue was threatening to become another flash point. But activists maintain the Indian Army continues to carry out daily exercises at the site.
One of Fayaz’s legs was earlier amputated on May 19 at Soura Medical College, Bemina, where he remained for two days in critical condition. Fayaz wouldn’t be able to see Simran’s face, who was buried on May 19. “His second leg has been amputated,” Fayaz’s grandfather, Manzoor Ahmad Parray, told media on Friday. His comment was followed by a brief sigh. “What can we do? It was our fate.”
Dr Sheikh Ghulam Rasool who is part of Tosa Maidan Bachao Front said the additional deputy commissioner of Budgam and tehsildar of Khag visited the area at 3 pm Monday and saw the exploded shells.
"But no bomb disposal squad has arrived to clear the area. How our civil administration is ignorant and irresponsible? They are the original killers,” he wrote on Facebook.
A leftover shell claimed the life of seven-year-old girl Simran when she was playing outside her school during lunch time and stepped on the shell, and injured two others, in Tosa Maidan on Monday. Simran's brother Fayaz Ahmad was also injured. According to reports, he has lost both his legs. Firing of the Indian army has left at least seventy civilians dead and disabled hundreds.
Tosa Maidan Bachao Front (TBF), a civic body spreading heading the movement against the lease extension of Tosa Maidan to army said that government is playing with the lives of people.
"This is sheer non-seriousness on part of the government. They are playing with our lives. The regime led by Omar Abdullah is not directing army to demine the area," a member of TBF said.
Tosmaidan is a 3000 acre meadow in central Kashmir used by Indian army to carry out artillery drills. The unexploded shells left by Army in the surrounding area of the firing range have killed 75 people ad maimed many more.
The lease of the meadow to the Indian army ended in April this year 2014 but it remains under Indian army’s occupation and is used as a firing range. Over 65 people mostly children have died due to littered shells in the area since 1965. Civil society groups have campaigned against the extension of lease to the Indian army.
The village, along with more than 40 others, lies just below Tosa Maidan - one of Kashmir’s largest meadows which the Indian Army and Air Force has used as a firing range for its heavy artillery since 1964.
In April 2014, the lease allowing the 3,000-acre meadow to be used for military practice came to an end, and although the army has sought an extension, large protests by local people and the election season stopped the government from extending it.
Bilal Ahmad, a neighbor of the deceased girl, said: “It is impossible now that we will let the army back here." "If they can kill our children like this, we will all stand in front of their guns and then we will see how they shoot."
Protestors said that due to military drills in the past, shells are scattered in and around the area that has been described as the ‘meadow of death’ and one of the shell exploded and claimed the life of a girl.
Jammu and Kashmir RTI Movement, one of the groups spearheading the campaign against the lease extension, said: killing of a minor and critically injuring two minors by littered explosive is ‘the worst example of brutality and barbarism’.
“Army has been given a license to kill and is on a mission of killing spree especially youth in order to sustain their illegal occupation of the meadow. They are continuing bloodbath to suppress the sentiment and they have crossed all the possible patience we could stand with,” it said.
The authority has said the lease will not be extended, but the army says it has sent its report to the defense ministry in Delhi. Despite the lease getting over the army continues to occupy the ‘meadow of death’.
Another civil society group, Tossamaidan Bachave Front, said they have no other option but to initiate an uprising against illegal occupation if the lease cancellation order is not issued. The group appealed to Kashmir citizens to condemn the killing of a minor in strongest terms and support the movement.
Misra, resident of Tosamaidan who lost her 16 year old son Shabir Ahmad Sheikh to a stray shell few years back said “we want Indian army to leave Tosamaidan. Our innocent children are being killed. We are scared of moving out”. “My son unknowingly stepped on a stray shell and was blasted into pieces. His body was mutilated beyond recognition” she added.
Tosamaidan has been the contentious issue between state administration and Army ever since people from the area lost their lives to the stray shells. State had leased this land to army way back in 1964 for a period of fifty years during which 64 persons lost their lives as per official data. However the residents claim that the number is around 170. Notably police has registered an open FIR for the first time with regard to the recent killing that happened in Lassipora area of Tosamaidan.
Kashmiri civilian Afsar Khan narrates his woeful tale of torture
Srinagar, Tuesday, June 3, 2014 : Muhammad Afsar Khan son of Muhammad Muzaffar resident and his wife Zahida of Binner Sherwaniabad in Baramullah district narrated a woeful tale about Indian army captain’s repression who is posted at F-Company Venkara Binner Baramullah. While displaying his bruised body, Muhammad Afsar Khan, the father of seven daughters told CNS that from past one year Indian armys 46 Rashtriya Rifles F-Company Captain Balihan aka Major Saleem aka Gabar Singh is after him and compelling him to act as his informer.
“I am a driver by profession and in 1995 I for few time was working a local armed group Al-Baraq as upper ground worker. I never crossed the Line of Control cease fire line. After some time i started living a peaceful life. Everything was fine till last year, 2013” he said adding that the said Indian army captain for the reasons better known to him called him to his camp and asked him to work for him. He told me that he will give him reward in case, “I help him in nabbing the militants.” He said that both of them will reap benefits. “You will get rewards and I will get promotion. Shake hands with me without any delay,” the Captain said.
“My refusal infuriated him and from that day he started harassing me and my family on the one or the other pretext. Why should I act as an Indian Army informer for a petty sum? I don’t want to get killed because I have seven daughters,” Afsar said.
He said in January 2014, the army Captain Balihan arrested and interrogated him. “When my wife informed the Panch a village head Syed Shah and another respectable citizen Ghulam Muhammad Bhat about my illegal detention, he set me free on the condition that we will not take up the matter with the higher authorities,” he said.
Her wife Zahida said that time Captain Balihan assured her that he will never touch her husband again. “I was shocked on May 29, 2014 when my father informed me that Captain Balihan dragged my husband from the vehicle near Stadium Gate Baramulla and took him along inside the army camp,” Zahid said.
“I was on way to Baramulla to fetch rice when Captain Balihan stopped the vehicle and detained me. He took me inside a dark room. He along with his body guards interrogated me without any reason. The body guards of another Captain Pradhan joined the chorus. I can easily identify them. They forced me take off my all clothes and used all their energy to torture me. It was a nightmare and they continuously interrogated me for four hours,” Afsar said adding that blood oozed out from his ears, nose and mouth. “Have a look over my body and see what they did to me,” he added.
Her wife Zahida said that she spent whole day outside Stadium gate and raised hue and cry the day when her husband was dragged from the vehicle. “I almost become a commodity that fateful day. I continuously knocked at the army gate to get my husband released. Locals who wanted to come close to me to enquire about the matter, were beaten up by army personnel deployed at the gate,” Zahida said.
Afsar said that when his condition deteriorated during interrogation, Captain Balihan handed him over to the local police. “Initially after seeing my condition police refused to take me along but finally they shifted me to Kantabagh hospital and treated me well. “I am thankful to Jammu and Kashmir police for taking care of me,” he said adding that his Samsung Galaxy mobile is still lying with the said Captain. He said that the Captain also snatched Rs 10000 from him during the interrogation.
Muhammad Afsar Khan said that during interrogation, Captain Balihan hanged an AK-47 rifle around his neck and a pistol in his hand and while clicking several photographs, told him that, “this is sufficient proof to dub me as a hardcore militant whenever he needs,” he said .