Teen’s Killing: Don’t CRPF men have kids, ask locals

HANDWARA — Locals of Mandigam, Qaziabad area here in this north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Friday said that paramilitary CRPF personnel killed 13-year-old boy Danish in “target firing” after 2 to 4 children “yelled and threw stones at them in fun” and asked whether the paramilitary personnel have no children of their own that they killed the innocent in “cold blood”.

The minor, Owais Ahmad Mir (13) son of Mushtaq Ahmad Mir resident of Mandigam Qaziabad, was killed near his village by paramilitary CRPF firing on Thursday evening.

“Yelling at the troops or pelting stones seems to be fun for these children. There were 2 to 4 children in number. Don’t these forces personnel have their own kids that they killed this innocent 13-year-old boy, who was studying in 7th standard, in target fire?” an elderly person flanked by a group of villagers told media men.

“While he was being taken to Handwara hospital, the troops stopped and he died on the way to Kralgund hospital where he was referred,” he said.

“If the concerned government continues to show the cold response and if the government wants to continue with the genocide policy, it should find some short method to kill us all instead of such painful incident,” he added.

The locals demanded a magisterial inquiry and to find out the truth. “The magisterial probe should find how forcibly a bud (child) can throw the stone and what damage it would have caused,” he said, adding, “Had the officers been sincere in their conduct, they should have found whether the force used was not disproportionate and that the victim family was subjected to tyranny.”