Ramban firing incident

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Ramban firing incident refers to firing on a Kashmiri protesting crowd by Border Security Force (BSF) officers of India on 18 July 2013 in Dharam area of Gool in Ramban district, Jammu & Kashmir.[1] killing four and injuring forty four people, according to the official sources. While the locals maintained killing of six people.[1]

Incident

The protest by the locals of Ramban started after a religious leader was detained by the BSF personnel on 17 July 2013 for offering prayers late at night. A small group of protesters visited a nearby construction site where BSF personnel were stationed. Soon a larger crowd gathered and violence broke out around 6:30 in the morning amid rumours that a copy of the Koran had been desecrated.[2]

The locals while agitating surrounded the 76 BSF battalion camp and pelted stones. Initially BSF personnel used tear gas shells but later opened fire killing four people and injuring thirty.[1]

Reactions

In India

Mehbooba Mufti, President of the Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, condemned the shootings as cold-blooded and sadistic. She offered condolences to the families of those hurt and killed in the incident.[3]

In Pakistan

During a media briefing, a Pakistani foreign office spokesman told reporters that the Government of Pakistan had taken notice of the Indian government's position on the incident and called for a "thorough and proper investigation to be carried out expeditiously and for bringing those responsible for this act to justice".[4] The incident was condemned by Pakistani cleric Hafiz Muhammad Saeed on Twitter, who exhorted Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif to take a tougher stance on Kashmir and remarked: "These atrocities on Kashmiris in this sacred month of Ramadan should immediately stop. World community should not remain oblivious".[5] Jamat-ud-Dawa also condemned the firing on Twitter: "India at utter mistake in hoping to suppress Kashmiris...as world sleeps, they continue to 'kill' innocents."[5] Protests were held in Azad Kashmir on 19 July outside a press club in the capital, Muzaffarabad. The protesting rally included members of the Kashmiri civil society and political groups, as well as Jamat-ud-Dawa activists. Dozens of protesters chanted pro-Kashmir and anti-India slogans, while condemning the killings and a reported desecration of the Quran.[6][7] The protesters also condemned Indian military occupation in Jammu and Kashmir, denouncing their actions as "terrorism" and called upon Islamabad to take a stand against New Delhi.[6] Veteran Kashmiri politician and Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly opposition leader Farooq Haider Khan held a phone call regarding the incident with Tariq Fatimi, Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister of Pakistan.[7]

Investigation

India's Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde ordered an investigation into the shooting and appealed for calm.[8][9]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "BSF firing kills 4 in J&K after clash over prayer timing". Hindustan Times. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2013. 
  2. ↑ Swami, Praveen (20 July 2013). "Ramban firing reveals the fading communal politics of Kashmir - Firstpost". First Post. Retrieved 20 July 2013. 
  3. ↑ "Mehbooba condemns Gool killings". Kashmir Times. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013. 
  4. ↑ "Foreign Office briefing: Pakistan ‘deeply concerned’ over Indian Kashmir violence". The Express Tribune. 20 July 2013. Retrieved 20 Jule 2013. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Tension prevails in Ramban after death of locals in firing by BSF". Times of India. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Kashmir killings spark protest". Dawn. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Ramban incidents: Protest against killing of four in Indian-held Kashmir". The Express Tribune. 20 July 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013. 
  8. ↑ "Indian forces shoot dead six protesters in Kashmir: police". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 19 July 2013. 
  9. ↑ "Indian forces shoot dead six protesters in Kashmir". Google News. Retrieved 19 July 2013. 

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