Friday, October 16th, 2015:Two injured in police firing in Pulwama Two persons identified as Rehti Begum and Reyaz Ahmad Teli , both residents of Arihal Pulwamasustained bullet injuries and were hospitalised, the police official said.
Two civilians were injured when Indian Central Reserve Police Force and Special Operation Group/ 182 Battalion during a joint search operation opened openly fire and arrest a mentally challenged burqa-clad male Tariq Ahmad from Pulwama town on Friday. Soon after the incident, some youth started pelting stones at the police personnel in the area
The injured, identified as Riyaz Ahmad Teli and Rehti Begum, were taken to the district hospital Pulwama, from where Rehti was referred to the Bone and Joint hospital, Srinagar, for further treatment.
Locals and Tariq Ahmad’s family said that Tariq was a mentally challenged person. “How can my son be a militant or even a militant sympathiser? He is mentally unfit. Every person is aware of this fact,” his father, Ghulam Mohidin reportedly said.“My son is being implicated in a false case. He is innocent,” the distraught father said.
The report quoted Ghulam as saying that he heard the ‘shocking news’ of his son’s arrest hours after he left his home on Friday morning. “My son is being implicated in a false case. He is innocent,” he said.
Tariq’s mother Sarwa Akhter said her son was working as a baker. However, around four months ago, she said, her son started behaving strangely.
“And as the days passed, he lost his mental balance. He would do weird things in and outside the house,” she said.
Endorsing the statement of Ghulam Mohidin, Numbardar of the village, Mohammad Yousuf told local mediamen that the arrested youth was mentally retarded and would be seen doping around the village. “He was not even remotely connected with militancy. He is a wanderer,” Yousuf said.
Another family member reportedly said that a fortnight ago, Tariq stole a cow from the shed of a neighbour, only to return it a day later.