A five-member team of civil society began its three-day visit to Kashmir on Monday, reaching out to the families of the victims of recent violence and those injured in police firing.
The team is led by Swami Agnivesh, and comprised the former Navy Chief Admiral (retd.) L. Ramdas; the former chairperson of the National Women's Commission, Mohini Giri; Fr. Dominic Emmanuel; and Mazhar Hussain.
The team visited the S.K. Institute of Medical Sciences and inquired about the condition of those who were injured in the police firing.
ADVERTISEMENT
They also talked to doctors and the family members of the victims. One of the wards reverberated with the slogan, “we want freedom.”
“They are innocent, and they were brutally fired upon by the police, and many of them are now disabled for life,” the relatives told the team.
The team also visited the homes of Tufail Ahmad Mattoo, 17, who was killed by a shell on June 11, and Omar Qayoom, 16, who died last week after he was allegedly beaten up by CRPF personnel.
ADVERTISEMENT
The team expressed concern at the situation, saying the killings needed to be stopped. “If the killings do not stop, it will lead to revival of militancy which will be dangerous,” Swami Agnivesh told The Hindu .
Later, the delegation called on Governor N.N. Vohra, separatist leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Geelani, and Jamiat Ahlihadith chief Moulana Showkat Ahmad Shah.