Night raid at Sameer Tiger’s home
Government forces took down posters of Sameer Tiger, the recently slain militant commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, during a nocturnal raid of his family home in Drubgam village triggering protests in the area, residents said Friday.
Witnesses said troops arrived in the slain militant leader’s native village around midnight Thursday and took down posters of him put up by villagers after he was killed during a gunfight with government forces on April 30 along with his associate Aqib Mushtaq.
Agitated by the midnight action by government forces villagers hit the streets to resist the “vandalism” and protest.
“Announcements were made over the public address systems of the mosques, appealing people to come out of their homes to stop the vandalism,” said Muzamil, a villager who gave only his first name.
He said scores of people, angered by the raid on Sameer’s home, clashed with the government forces during the night raising pro-freedom slogans.
People in their droves thronged the slain ‘Tiger’s’ house on Friday to express their solidarity with his family and offer condolences.
They later offered prayers at Sameer’s grave and installed a Pakistani flag on it.
Nocturnal Arrests
Elsewhere in Pulwama and Kulgam districts of southern Kashmir, government forces during night raids rounded up at least ten youth on charges of stone throwing.
Police sources said contingents of government forces arrived in Marval village past midnight and arrested youth identified as Mehraj Aziz, Sameer, Aijaz, Mohammad Ramzan, Abdul Gani, Mohammad Ashraf Wagay and Owais Hassan.
Villagers protested the nightly arrests and clashed with government forces who lobbed tear gas bombs to disperse them.
“The forces have been frequently arresting people from the village and on some instances parents of ‘absconding’ persons as well,” said a villager who declined to give his name, fearing reprisal by the police.
Thousands throng house, grave
Meanwhile, thousands of people on Friday thronged the residence of slain Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Sameer ‘Tiger’ to express solidarity and offer condolences to the family.
People in droves also visited the grave of Sameer in Drubgam village of Pulwama district to offer prayers.
‘Tiger’ was killed along with his associate Aqib Mushtaq of Rajpora in a gunfight with the government forces on Monday. An army major and another personnel were injured during the firefight.
Meanwhile, amid complete shutdown clashes erupted between protesters and government forces in Shopian and Pulwama on Friday. Clashes were also reported from Kulgam and Anantnag (Islamabad) districts.
Forces resorted to tear smoke shelling on protesters who pelted rocks on them near Shirmal, in Shopian.
Reports of similar clashes came from Nikas area of Pulwama.
Two protesters sustained injuries when forces resorted to tear gas shelling to disperse stone pelting youth who were raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans.
Clashes after Friday prayers also erupted at Narwaw Shopian, old town Anantnag, Khudwani and Kaimoh in Kulgam.
Pulwama and Shopian are observing continuous shutdown since Monday against recent killings of militants and civilians.
