South Asia Human Rights Journalist Association

Srinagar, Dec 17: Indian army;s White Knight Corp  killed  Kamal Kishore (30) and Surinder Kumar (30)  both residents of Rajouri and injured Anil Kumar son of Bali Ram of Ranikhet, Uttarakhand Indian state, presently putting up in Ward No. 15 Rajouri at outside the Indian army’s “ Alpha gate ”  camp in Poonch-Rajouri highway of the  Rajouri district
“These people were poor labourers who have small children – one of them has three kids while the other has two. Their families are devastated.”  
Locals, carrying the bodies of the dead civilians, blocked the Jammu-Poonchl highway for nearly seven hours and demanded a probe into the matter and adequate compensation to the families.
Locals and relatives of the slain men, however, hurled stones at the Army camp, accusing the Indian troops deployed at the Traffic Control Point (TCP) outside the army camp of opening fire at the civilians.They burned tyres and blocked the Jammu-Poonch  highway,
Protesters burned tyres and pelted the military base with stones hours after the shooting, said a police official, who declined to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
 
A resident of Phayalana village in Rajouri told Al Jazeera the two slain civilians lived in the same village. He said they were “killed by the Indian army without any reason”.
“They were going for their routine work towards the Indian army camp when the guard opened fire at them. They worked as labourers inside the camp for more than a decade. The third person with them was wounded,” he said on condition of anonymity.
“These people were poor labourers who have small children – one of them has three kids while the other has two. Their families are devastated.”
“I was travelling in ma vehicle and heard several shots of bullets at the Alpha gate of army camp. I left behind my vehicle and ran for cover. Later, I came to know that two locals have been killed,” a truck driver driver said.
The victims worked as porters of Indian army, were approaching the ‘Alpha’ gate of the army camp, located along the highway and about 150 kms from Jammu Indian Army sentry on gate started firing on them  the eyewitnesses,  
Eyewitnesses said a sentry posted at the gate opened fire at the approaching locals.Soon after the incident, local residents took to the streets and pelted stones on the Indian Army camp and raised anti Indian army slogans.
Police said the firing took place around 6.15 am when a group of people, who worked as porters, were approaching the ‘alpha’ gate of the  army camp, located along the highway and about 150 kms from Jammu.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said, “Tragic that two innocent lives were lost  due to firing by the Indian army. An impartial probe must be carried out to ensure that culprits are punished and justice is served.” 
National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah also condemned the killings and called for an impartial probe into the incident.
“Independent and impartial probe into the killings should be initiated. Civilian killings call for outright condemnation and cannot be condoned on any ground whatsoever,” he said. 
Meanwhile, Senior APHC leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was again not allowed by Modi regime to offer Juma prayers at historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar . He has been under continued house arrest since August 05, 2019 when Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government repealed the special status of IIOJK.