Bandipore Masjid siege ends
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Locals stage protest; Police says militants escaped
Mir Tariq Bandipore, April 1: Hundreds of people staged a massive protest at Papchan here in north Kashmir after police and troops lifted siege around the Masjid here in north Kashmir on Tuesday morning.A joint party of troops and police had cordoned off the Jamia Masjid Papchan on Monday morning claiming that militants are holed up there. The party had fired indiscriminately towards the Masjid for more than three hours last afternoon damaging the outer wall of the Masjid, however there was no retaliation from the other side.
Eyewitnesses told Rising Kashmir that Army in presence of Magistrate Bandipore Ghulam Muhammad Khan sent ten members of Pachan Auqaf Committee into the Masjid this morning. The members after searching the Masjid announced that there is no one hiding there. After members came out the siege was lifted. As soon as the siege was lifted hundreds of people raising pro-freedom and anti-army slogans staged a massive protest against the siege on Srinagar- Bandipore highway. Accusing troopers of harassing the residents unnecessarily, the protesters said, “There were no militants present inside the Masjid. The area was cordoned off to make us feel that how powerful they are,” the protesters said, adding, “ During the siege Army damaged the Masjid and our houses.” The protesters said that they are living under constant fear and their lives have become a hell. "From the intervening night of March 31, army and police cordoned of Masjid, damaged its walls, windows and burnt carpets worth Rs 2 lakhs inside the Masjid by throwing grenades inside it.” The protesters were joined by the Member of Legislative Council and General Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Nizamudin Bhat “ Forces should make themselves doubly sure before carrying out any operation at religious places,” Bhat told reporters. However Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Varmul Dr B Srinwasan said, “ Our information about militants being holed up in the Masjid was correct but they escaped before we could cordon off the area.”