KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
A 20-year-old youth was killed when he was hit by a tear gas shell and suffered heart attack in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Friday evening, his family said.
The slain youth was identified as Javaid Ahmad Mir, s/o Ab Fatah Mir, r/o Nasrullahpora, Budgam. The total number of civilians killed since July 09 2016 has rose to 95 with the death of Javaid. There are reports of massive protests going on right now in Nasrullahpora after Javaid’s body reached his home for final journey.
“I along with Javaid was watching youths who were playing cricket in fields in our village,” Muzamil Mir, who is cousin of slain Javaid told Kashmir Life.
“Some youths were fleeing from nearby Mirgund Chowk,” Muzamil informed, “it created hue and cry among the cricket playing youths and we tried to flee for safety.”
“Soon,” he said, “scores of vehicles carrying forces reached our area who fired scores of tear gas shells.”
Muzamil said that the tear smoke engulfed whole area creating suffocation. “It was impossible to breathe for a normal person,” he said.
“One tear gas shell hit Javaid on his chest,” he said. “He fell down and after some moments of mustering courage, some youths rushed and brought him out of the fields which was turned into a battle field,” he said.
According to Muzamil, Pheran and other garments of Javaid “caught fire due to the tear gas shell”. “He was rushed to a hospital wherefrom he was taken to JVC Hospital Bemina,” he said. “But he died before Ambulance reached the JVC hospital.”
Javaid was a Ist year student at Government Degree College Budgam. He was youngest son among his siblings.
The locals of Nasrullahpora said that there were no protests or stone pelting going on in the area. “Clashes erupt in main Mirgund Chowk on every Friday and today again same thing happened,” one local said. “Due to fear of being arrested, the youths fled for safety towards Mir Mohallah where Javaid lived.”
“There were no injury marks on his body. The cause of death could have been ascertained if relatives would have allowed us to conduct autopsy, but shortly after the death of the youth, they took the body away,” said a doctor at JVC quoted by wire news agency CNS.
“He was taken to Primary Health Centre Soibugh where from he was brought to this hospital. We conducted ECG but he was not responding. There were no injury marks on his body. We can’t ascertain the real cause of his death as the relatives didn’t allow us to conduct autopsy,” he said.
Meanwhile, police in a statement said, “today afternoon one person namely Junaid (Javaid) Ahmad Mir, son of Fateh Mir, resident of Nasrullah Pora, Budgam was brought to JVC Bemina, Srinagar where the doctors declared him brought dead. As per doctors prima facie he has died of cardiac arrest as there are no marks of any injury on his body.”
