Tral: Huge population of South Kashmir’s Tral town alleged that during the 20 hours long crackdown in Dadasara, Tral and Kuchmulla, Army personnel used all means to scare them whole night. “These Army personnel yelled, beat the drums and blew whistles whole night. Children were so frightened and no one was able to sleep during the dreadful night,†one of the residents told CNS.
In a bid to apprehend militants involved in the killing of four Army personnel on May 24, large contingents of Army from 3 and 42 Rashtriya Rifles laid a siege around Dadasara, Tral and Kuchmulla at around 2 in the afternoon of Sunday. Special Operation Group personnel assisted army in the operation. The crackdown continued for 22 hours during Army used sniffer dogs and all other means to nab the militants.
“Army used the public address system to inform people that they are under siege. They ordered people to keep the lights of their houses on whole night and even they used gen sets,†locals said adding that during the house-to-house searches the identity cards of the people especially youth were checked thoroughly.
Locals alleged that Army used all means to scare the inhabitants of the area. “They (Army) created such an uproar during the night and for a moment we felt completely unsecure. They started yelling, beating drums and most of the time these army personnel were seen blowing whistles to scare the whole population,†locals said adding that the crackdown was planned in an organized manner to make the people feel that they are living in hell.
Pertinently, the crackdown is a chilling reminder of 1990s when people were dragged out of their homes and lined up by forces for an “identification parade.†Anybody without an identity card would be arrested, and released only after being tortured in custody.
