Rally for women’s safety
A non-profit, working on women’s rights issues, Maitree has been participating in 16 days awareness drive to stop violence against women and girls, which is an annual international awareness programme
Tension refuses to die down in Rajouri area of Jammu and Kashmir, where a protest against the alleged killing of two civilians by the Army jawans, turned violent on Friday.
Hundreds of people came out of their homes and blocked the vital Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch Highway in the morning, charging the Army jawans with killing two civilians at a firing incident, where one sustained serious injury.
A section of the protestors burnt tyres on the road to enforce the blockade while some others, allegedly pelted stones at an Army camp in the area, which compounded the situation.
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According to the local residents, both the deceased were on the way to an Army Hospital, where they were employees.
The protestors shouted slogans demanding stern actions against the Army jawans, who were involved in the incident of firing. They further urged the authorities to lodge a formal complaint with the police.
Towards the afternoon, in a written commitment signed by the Army’s Station Commander, District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police of Rajouri, the authorities promised that the Army would support children of the deceased with free education up to the college level.
They further assured the deceased families of permanent jobs, for one of the dependents, in the Army Hospital. This would be, in addition to, a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the deceased families.
Dr Haseeb Moughal, DIG, Rajouri-Poonch Range and Vikas Kaundal, DC, Rajouri, reached the incident site and tried to pacify the angry protestors outside the gate of the Army camp.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police said that an FIR has been registered and a fair probe will be done. He said the bodies have been sent to the medical college for the post-mortem examination.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti demanded an impartial probe into the incident. She tweeted: “Tragic that two innocent lives were lost allegedly due to firing by the army. An impartial probe must be carried out to ensure that culprits are punished.”
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