A Viral Disturbing Video Shows Terrified School Children, After Indian Army Assaults Their Bus Driver
Kashmir Updates -YFK - June, 28 2019
A disturbing video from Indian Administrated Kashmir doing rounds on the internet. The video on Twitter showed terrified children crying out of fear when army personnel thrashed the bus driver. The video was shared on Twitter by Nazir Masoodi, a news reporter from Kashmir. He Tweeted “Disturbing visuals from Shopian. Terrified school children crying after their school bus driver was beaten by security forces.”
Netizens on social media strongly condemned the act, Rayees Mohammad Bhat on Twitter writes “Disturbing indeed, Children should be protected from the consequences of conflict at all costs.” Another user from Mumbai, Pranil showed disappointment over highhandedness by security forces in his tweet, “it’s a shame. ‘Security forces.’ Irony dekhiye”(look at the irony).
According to NDTV, the driver of the school bus, identified as Gulzar Ahmed Rather, was hospitalized. He sustained a severe head injury. The driver said “when I was near the school, I saw some army vehicles coming from the opposite direction. I had stopped to pick up some children. I saw soldiers beating up people on the road. Suddenly, one of them hit me with his cane on the head just above the eye.” In another statement, he said, “the soldiers had also hit a woman teacher with the butt of a gun.”
The incident prompted protests by the local residents and students; they demanded action against those involved in the incident. An agitating student said “we were stuck in a traffic jam when a convoy of army personnel suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They badly assaulted driver uncle.”
A senior police officer responded to the agitation and said “I have met the school management and assured action in the incident. We have not received a formal complaint so far.” The children in bus alleged the army personnel for threatening them, they said the army personnel threatened to beat them too if they cried. 50 children were inside the bus when the incident happened.
In another incident, a traffic policeman was seen bleeding in a video shared on Twitter. The cop was identified as Mudasir Ahmad, a resident of Balhama and was immediately rushed to hospital for treatment. He was assaulted by soldiers in Nowgum area, which lies in the outskirts of Srinagar. He was thrashed by the army personnel for not halting civilian traffic at a time when an Indian army convoy was passing by.
Such incidents are not new in Indian Occupied Kashmir. In 2017 Bypolls, Farooq Ahmed Dar was used as a human shield by the Indian army so that the stone pelters will not throw stones on the army jeep. This act invited an international criticism and uproar on Social media. Indian Administrated Kashmir can be a textbook example of a place, where Human Rights violation is a norm. Every day student’s are harassed, men are thrashed and protesters are dealt with the Baton charge, Pallet guns, and tear gas shells and sometimes by direct firing.
India is responsible for the safety and security of the people of Jammu & Kashmir by International laws. Such actions will only aggravate the situation further, which can result in more deaths on both sides. New Delhi needs to ensure the Peace & Security and stability in the region by addressing the core problem of the Plebiscite in which the Kashmiri populace will decide their future.
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