Srinagar: The Army has blamed local “miscreants” for the shooting incident in which four girls — two of them siblings — were injured in Dreed Kalipora village of Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Shopian district on Monday evening.
The Army troops had opened fire in the village after surging crowds had held protests against its hosting an Iftar party against their wish at the main mosque of the village.
The angry residents had allegedly ransacked a stall put up by the Army outside the Jamia Masjid of Dreed Kalipora and also hurled stones on the jawans of 34 Rashtriya Rifles who retaliated by opening fire injuring four girls identified as Aqsa Jan, Shobi Jan and siblings Shakira Akhter and Aafi Jan.
The locals have told the police that the Army announced to host an Iftar party at the village’s main mosque and had invited the local elders and other prominent residents to it but the village Auquaf committee had advised it not to hold any such event in view of the anger in the local population over the recent killings in the security forces actions.
The Army, they said, ignored the advice and went ahead with its plan. As the word about it spread, groups of youth took to the streets chanting pro-freedom slogans and then allegedly hurled stones at soldiers.
The Army in a statement issued here on Tuesday said that it had while following the tradition and as part of goodwill gesture towards the people during the Muslim fasting month of Ramzan planned an Iftar party in the village. “Necessary coordination was done with the village Moulvi, Masjid Committee members, Sarpanch and other eminent persons of the village,” it said adding that some of them had also visited the local Army camp in the (Monday) afternoon to finalize arrangements.
The Army claimed that at around 7.30 pm when the Iftar party was underway, “some miscreants from the village barged into the Masjid and started shouting anti national and pro-Pakistan slogans including on the loudspeaker”.
This, the Army said, led to "a large crowd instigated by the miscreants and primarily consisting of youth and a few women gathering outside the Masjid.”
It added that the crowd surrounded the Army troops present in the village for organising the Iftar party.
“The crowd resorted to heavy stone pelting posing serious threat to the safety of the troops. The troops verbally cautioned the crowd but when the stone-pelting further intensified, they (troops) took necessary preventive measures and moved out of the area,” a statement issued by the Army here said.
The incident took place days after the Centre announced a conditional ceasefire in J&K by halting operations against separatist militants during the Muslim fasting month of Ramzan.
