Five arrested for assaulting CRPF men, new disturbing videos spark fresh row

Indian paramilitary troopers stand guard near a polling station. Photo: AFP

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir police today have arrested five people in connection with the assault on a CRPF personel during bypoll on the Srinagar parliamentary seat on April 9. The video that sparked a nationwide outraged surfaced on Wednesday. It featured CRPF jawans walking down a street while on of them was being heckled, kicked and punched by Kashmiri youths. CRPF personnel, equipped with rifle, showed immense restraint and did not retaliate even after being attacked. They were under instructions to not open fire. Jammu and Kashmir Police chief S P Vaid said, "Any armed force in the world would have retaliated with force". "We have registered an FIR in police station Chadoora against the ruffians who heckled the CRPF personnel. They will be dealt with as per law," Vaid told PTI. CRPF PRO had lauded the restraint shown by the CRPF jawans and said, "The security personnel gave more importance to the polling parties and EVMs as they were their first priority." On Thursday, another video surfaced in which ITBP personnel was seen shooting right in the head of a stone-pelting protester outside a polling station. A case has also been registered in connection with that also. The third video that has gone viral on social media sites from valley showed a youth being tied to an army jeep as a human shield against stone pelters. The video and pictures have been shared by former chief minister Omar Abdullah who has termed it as "shocking". The video was reportedly shot in Beerwah area of Budgam district where miscreants disrupted polling during Sunday's bypoll to Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency by pelting stones. It is being widely shared on social networks in Kashmir and drawing condemnation. "This young man was TIED to the front of an army jeep to make sure no stones were thrown at the jeep? This is just so shocking!" Omar wrote on Twitter. Army was quick in ordering an inquiry. "In reference to the video showing a young man tied to an army jeep, the contents of the video are being verified and investigated," a defence spokesman said.