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Indian security personnel crush Kashmiri man under armoured vehicle in Srinagar
[DAWN] Indian security personnel reportedly drove an armoured vehicle wildly into a crowd of protesters in Srinagar on Friday, slamming into a half-dozen people and crushing one man beneath its wheels, injuring him critically, locals said.Officials denied the claims and said that the vehicle was surrounded by a crowd of angry young men, some of whom fell beneath the jeep-like car when they tried to pull the soldiers out and lynch them. "It was a situation created by the crowd. We showed extreme restraint," said Sanjay Sharma, a front man for the paramilitary force involved. A police officer offered a third version. The vehicle, he said, accidentally strayed into an area crowded with protesters, then struck some people when the driver realised what had happened and tried to get quickly away. "It was a mistake," said the police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to comment. An AP photographer captured the horror in a series of photographs, though even he couldn't see how everything transpired. Protesters regularly spill into the streets of Srinagar after Friday prayer services, demanding an end to New Delhi's rule over India-held Kashmire. The protests were largely peaceful on Friday, with security forces hanging back after the previous week, when over 50 people were maimed in fierce festivities. "Police and soldiers were standing at a safe distance from the crowd, avoiding confrontation. And then from nowhere this vehicle ran into the crowd," said resident Reyaz Ahmed. The vehicle rocked back and forth for about 30 seconds when one protester was caught beneath it, finally driving away from the furious crowd. Posted by: Fred 2018-06-02 |
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