A CRPF vehicle running over civilian in Downtown area of Srinagar

Srinagar: The CRPF vehicle appeared out of nowhere like a demon of death and rammed into a crowd of youth, crushing three boys at Nowhatta on Friday, photojournalists revealed.

Recounting the incident, photojournalists, who were covering events at Nowhatta, said that there were mild protests going on in the area, but much lesser in intensity than usual.

“There were no police to be seen anywhere,” photojournalists told The Kashmir Press.

“The pro-freedom protests were less intense than usual. We were about to leave before we spotted a white CRPF Gypsy (vehicle) appearing out of nowhere.”

The eye witnesses said that the vehicle was travelling from Khowja Bazar towards Nowhatta.

“It made no sense that a lone CRPF gypsy was coming towards the people. It looked like a provocation. The vehicle was moving at a very fast speed, perhaps 100 km per hour,” the photojournalists said.

“In a flash, it reached Nowhatta, and boys lined up on both sides of the road started pelting stones at the vehicle.”

Protesting people gathering around CRPF vehicle

They said that it rammed straight into the crowds of youth standing in the middle of the road, hitting and mowing down two of them.

“The CRPF gypsy first hit the boy, then it got stuck with one more boy under its tyres,” the photojournalists said, adding, the CRPF vehicle was bearing plate number HR 55C3367.

“Qaisar Amin Bhat was one among the protestors who was the first to be hit by the vehicle. The tyres crushed him. Then the vehicle tried to drive ahead, but it could not move over the burly boy, Alim Nisar. Then the driver reversed the vehicle, crushing Nisar again and dragging him along”.

Then, they said, Nisar was able to move his body between the two tyres at the back, but his head remained in the way of one tyre in the front.

“The CRPF driver then accelerated the vehicle, and the tyre moved over him, crushing Nissar’s head,” the photojournalists said.

Nissar was the one who was stuck under the gypsy on the rear side. His photo went viral on social media.

Civilian coming under armoured vehicle

Soon after the incident, the photojournalists said the boys were taken to the hospital.

“The gypsy fled from the spot. It did not stop for a moment, even after hitting and mowing two boys. The protestors opened the door of the gypsy, but could not stop the driver from speeding away,” they said.

“When Nissar emerged alive from under of the vehicle, he could not straighten himself out. He vomited blood.  His shirt was ripped to pieces, and there were gashes and bruises all over his back. He raised himself onto his knees but fell down and became unconscious”.

Aleem and Qaiser were admitted at Shere-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences at Soura (SKIMS)

Qaiser suffered from rib and pelvic fractures besides a Haemothorax and a Pneumothorax. He was put on a ventilator as he had sustained life threatening injuries but was declared dead late at night on Friday

The doctors at SKIMS said Younis was stable so far and had suffered multi-facial injuries and zygomatic bone problems and poly-trauma. He is 31 years old.

Police Version

When the CRPF gypsy reached Khawaja Bazar it was attacked with stones from all the sides.

Some stone pelters even climbed onto the bonnet of the gypsy. But the driver kept on moving towards Nowhatta Chowk where it then hit two youth.

It triggered a serious crisis in the entire area. A family that had come for the shopping to the Nowhatta market, somehow bundled the injured into their car and drove them to JLN hospital at Rainawari, the closest hospital. It was from there that they were shifted to SKIMS.

Once the injured were evacuated to the hospital, the youth became angry and violent. They then resorted to massive stone pelting in the area.

In the same incident, two more youth were hit by pellets in their legs and body and are presently undergoing treatment at hospital.