Bagh-e-Mehtab residents allege police, CRPF harassment



 Srinagar October1: The police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) ruthlessly beat locals and ransacked people’s homes and destroyed property worth lakhs at Bagh-e-Mehtab, alleged residents of the locality.

"A month ago the railway track near Bagh-e-Mehtab was dislodged by protestors. Today at around noon, a small test engine came for monitoring purpose. When it reached near Bridge no 115, the group of youth hurled stones at it," said an eyewitness Mudasir Ahmad.

“In response to the actions of the youth, the police and the CRPF reached the spot and fired a volley of bullets to disperse the protest,” he added.

A local who wished to remain anonymous, lamented about how the troopers and the police targeted him. Pointing at visible bamboo stick marks on his back, he complained, “I went outside to buy curd for lunch, when I reached on the main road the CRPF personnel caught me and beat me ruthlessly.”

“We have a fast-food centre called Food café, the police and the CRPF destroyed the frame of his shop,” said a local, Omar Rafiq.

While talking to Kashmir Dispatch, CRPF’s PRO Prabhakar Tripathi said he was unable to comment on the