Police lathi-charge Kashmiri Pandits protesting Rahul Bhat’s murder

Story by  ATV | Posted by  sabir hussain • 1 Years ago
Police used teargas to break up a protest march by Kashmiri Pandits in Srinagar.
Police used teargas to break up a protest march by Kashmiri Pandits in Srinagar.

 

Jammu

Protests are being held in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday following Thursday’s killing of a Kashmiri Pandit Rahul Bhat.

The people hit the roads and raised slogans against the administration while demanding security and justice.

Police used tear gas and mild lathi-charge to disperse one of the protests in Srinagar. The protesters were marching towards the Srinagar International Airport when police intercepted their march and used tear smoke shells and mild lathi-charge to disperse them.

Government employees and families of Kashmiri Pandits living in Budgam protested against the administration over the killing of Bhat.

In another protest in Budgam, people demanded that the Lieutenant Governor should speak to them.

"We have been sitting here since yesterday and protesting peacefully. He needs to come here and address us. We had given an ultimatum. We were beaten with sticks. We were protesting peacefully and they beat us," a protester said.

"If the Administration can lathi-charge and tear gas the public, then could they not have caught the terrorist yesterday?" said another protester Aparna Pandit.

The members of the Kashmiri Pandit Employees Association also staged a protest in Anantnag demanding justice.

They also demanded their safe relocation.

"We ask the government to re-locate us to places where we feel rehabilitated," said Sandeep Bhat.

In Sheikhpora people threatened mass resignations if they were not provided security.

"LG administration should provide us security, else we will resort to mass resignation from our respective posts," Amit, a Kashmiri Pandit said.

The protests followed the killing of Rahul Bhat by terrorists in J-K's Budgam district on Thursday. His last rites were performed at Bantalab in Jammu.