According to an ANI report, the celebrations of Eid-Al-Adha were marred by violence when stone pelting terrorists came out on the street, chanted slogans waved the Pakistan and ISIS flags and clashed with police personnel on duty in Srinagar’s Eidgah area, soon after Eid prayers. The policemen, trying to bring the situation under control were also assaulted by the stone-pelters.
In another incident, a policeman was shot dead by terrorists outside an Eidgah in Kulgam’s Zazripora, when he was leaving after offering prayers.
The central government had earlier announced the suspension of anti-terror operations in the valley in the month of Ramzan. But that had little effect on the fundamentalists as many more incidents of stone pelting were reported across Kashmir.
Condemning the rampant stonepelting incidents, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that although the armed forces cannot be held responsible for being firm with terrorists, it is extremely important to ensure safer movement of tourists to restore normalcy.
Incidents of stone pelting and attack on security forces and tourists have been on the rise in the valley. Earlier in May, a tourist from Tamil Nadu’s Chennai had lost his life in stone-pelting. Around the same time, a bus carrying school students was also attacked by unruly stone-pelters in Zawoora village of Shopian district. On June 1st, in Srinagar, a convoy of CRPF vehicles came under severe attack by a large mob.
In one such similar ghastly act, stone pelters had attacked the funeral procession of Lt Ummer Fayaz in Kashmir, mid last year which left the nation shocked. In an abhorrent display of their cold-bloodedness, not even sparing the mortal remains of the Lieutenant, they pelted stones on the Army personnel, late Lt Fayaz’s family members and his near and dear ones who gathered to pay their last respects to the brave soldier in his ancestral village in Kulgaon.
The central government has, however, taken a tough stance against it, stating that it will be demoralizing for the security forces as hundreds of personnel are injured every year due to stone pelting attacks. The center had also stated that going easy with the stone pelters will further encourage the terrorists of the valley to use civilians as human shield.
In its attempt to curb this menace, the National Investigative Agency (NIA) has been thoroughly focused on the terror funding in Kashmir for some months now.
At the start of June, the NIA had raided as many as 23 locations across Delhi, Haryana, and Kashmir in connection with the Pakistani funding which the Kashmiri separatist leaders are believed to receive in order to spread terror in the valley. Reports claimed that the NIA had identified 117 individuals who led stone pelting groups and gave instructions over WhatsApp and made few arrests too.
