There was another brutal encounter that began in the wee hours this morning between Indian occupying forces & Kashmiri freedom fighters in Chadoora town, about 15 miles / 25 km south of Srinagar.
It began with a military search & summary execution mission after a tip-off to India’s snitch & surveillance network of the presence of a militant in the area. As soldiers & special forces began shooting up a house where they thought he was hiding, protesters from the nearby areas chanting anti-India slogans began converging to interrupt what Indian nationalist media is calling a “gunfight.” It isn’t a gunfight when it’s one guy with or without a weapon against a squadron of special forces. That is a massacre.
The protesters were absolutely justified in trying to protect their fellow from being murdered & to help him escape. Even if he were guilty of serious crimes, this kind of operation is designed to execute him on the spot without even knowing who he is or whether he’s guilty of anything.
Now the special forces thugs turned on the courageous protesters throwing stones to interrupt the operation & assaulted them with tear gas, pellet guns, & live ammunition. There is considerable video & photographic documentation of soldiers shooting at unarmed protesters.
When it was over, the unidentified militant was dead along with three young protesters & 28 people were injured. Indian security forces stopped the ambulance carrying the body of one of the victims & prevented it from moving. The encounter ended with Indian forces razing the home to the ground by shelling it & with improvised explosive devices (IEDs). They claimed they found one weapon. For all we know, it could have been a sling shot.
The three young protesters killed, all in their 20s, were Zahid Rashid, Qaiser Ahmed Ganai, & Ishfaq Rashid.The name of the alleged militant is not yet known. May they all Rest In Peace. They died as martyrs. Our sincere condolences to their family & friends. Our highest esteem for the protesters who stood to defend them.
This is some of the protesters standing against the occupying army.
(Photo by Dar Yasin/AP)