5 Minors Detained: Horror of Nocturnal Raids in Kashmir

Five minors were among 21 detained through nocturnal raids in Murran, a village of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district during the intervening night of April 29-30, 2019. Pulwama remains in headlines for being one of the most active militancy zones.

Murran is a small hamlet located 2 kms away from Pulwama and 29 kms away from Srinagar. The minors were picked up from a locality in Murran, Sheikhpora.

On April 28, Sajad Ahmad Sheikh, a 14-years old boy woke up after his mother Naseema Bano (45) asked him to help his father Mohammad Dilawar Sheikh (48). Dilawar was already busy with dismantling the cowshed. Sajad woke up quickly and joined the squad soon after finishing his breakfast, as his father took a break.

“I was watching him from the window, he kept doing the work. He would not let his father do so much as he was suffering from multiple herniated disk which makes his work tougher,” said Naseema. After a few hours Sajad was accompanied by his elder brother Aqib Ahmad Sheikh (20). Even though older than Sajad, Aqib has the brain of a child.

“Since childhood, Aqib is suffering from a mental disorder. No doubt he is grown up now, but his brain has not developed,” said Naseema with tears in her eyes. They had lunch in their one storey house in the afternoon, following which they returned to work.

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At around 4:30 PM, a platoon of Special Officers Group (SOG) of J&K police and Indian Army’s wing Rashtriya Rifles led a siege in Sheikhpora. It was for the first time since the 90s that cordon and search operation (CASO) was started in Sheikhpora. Soon after the siege, people gathered around the house and started protesting. Protests near encounter sites or CASO sites has been an ongoing trend, post Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Abu Qasim's killing (encounter) in 2015.

But the trend was confined to a few areas of South Kashmir. The trend became popular in 2016 after the killing of armed resistance outfit, Hizbul Mujahedeen commander Burhan Wani. A similar incident had occurred in Sheikhpora then.

People, mostly youth gathered near the siege site and started protesting to helped the trapped militants break the cordon. “We heard people chanting slogans for freedom,” said Naseema.

To disperse the protestors, forces resorted aerial firing and tear gas canisters. In response, protesters pelted stones which triggered clashes in the area. Loud bangs and aerial firing triggered panic in Sheikhpora. Sajad and his brother ran to their neighbours for safety. Within seconds, forces landed in Sajad’s courtyard. “I saw men in uniform, they were thrashing everyone who came in their way,” said Bisma, their 18 year old sister.

A frightened Sajad hid behind Naseema who had also rushed to her neighbours place for safety. “I could feel his heartbeat on my back, his body was chilling, he was scared,” she recalls.

After the siege for three continuous hours, the security forces left the village as they found nothing in the suspected house. While lifting the cordon, forces vandalised everything that came in their way.

A kilometre away from Sheikhpora at Bounpora, Shahid Ibni Ayoub, a 16-year-old boy was going to his maternal aunt who has been paralysed for the last 10 years. An eyewitness, who wanted to remain anonymous, revealed how forces surrounded Shahid and detained him.

“I saw him through the window, he was speaking over the phone near the corner of the road. I could hear him saying ‘I’m coming there, tell if you want me to buy anything for you,” she said. Before he could hang up the call and keep his phone in pocket, he was surrounded by forces and they started beating him.

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After beating him black and blue, he was dragged, pushed into an armed vehicle and taken to the police station in Pulwama. This was not the only detention. During the intervening night of April 29-30, at around 12:30 AM, Sajad was sleeping next to his mother when a joint group of SOG and Rashtriya Rifles laid a siege on the village again. But this time, it wasn't an ambush against the militants but to carry out mass detention in Sheikhpora.

“We woke up to loud bangs on the door, but before we could get up they had broken the door and security forces entered our house. They asked me to wake up Sajad as they wanted to take him away,” Naseema said. Agitated, Sajad held on to his mother as they started pulling him away. She laments, “I begged them to not take him, as he has never been involved in any such activities, but they didn’t listen to my requests at all. Finally, they pulled him out and started beating him ruthlessly. They did not even let him wear a shirt.”

No one had a clue that it was going to be a long night for Sheikhpora villagers. Before barraging into Sajad’s house, forces were at every corner of all lanes and streets.

A few metres away, Sajad’s classmate and friend Shahid Riyaz Thoker, a 13-year-old boy was sleeping with his brother, when another group of forces banged their door. His father, Riyaz Ahmad Thoker, a fruit merchant by profession, woke up and ran to see who was banging the door. “Once I opened the door, I found police, SOG and RR on the door and they asked me to call my children out,” said Riyaz. The moment the children came out, the men in uniform asked Shahid to identify himself and come along with him.

“I asked them where he is supposed to go, to which they replied that they want him to guide them to a few houses in the locality. I told them that I’m well aware of this area and I’ll come along, let my son sleep,” recalls Riyaz. However, as soon as he took a step towards them, the personnel beat him and locked them inside while dragging Shahid away.

Riyaz and other members managed to break the lock. They followed them till the main gate. “I begged them not to take my son away, they pointed the barrel towards us. One of them told me to ‘back-off or get killed’,” said Riyaz. And they faded in the darkness of the night.

It wasn’t the last house, militaries trespassed the 8 feet long gate of Abdul Majeed’s house. At around 1:30 AM, SOG personnel knocked the door of his house. Recalling the events of the night, his wife Shameema said, “The forces shouted to open the door.” Majeed and his family were fearful of death, especially his two sons, 15-year-old Furkaan Sheikh, who is famous in his locality as a budding cricketer and 13-year-old Tawheed Majeed, who had earned his name in Murran for being a martial art player.

“My husband opened the door, forces asked for Furkaan and Tawheed. I tried to find out the reason why they want them but they just said that they want to meet them. When we refused to produce my sons before them, the police and army thrashed my husband,” said Shameema with tears rolling down her cheeks. Helpless, she watched the forces pull their sons from their bed. She says, “I screamed for help, but no one came to my rescue.”

On this night, 24 youths were detained in Murran village.

“At this juncture, they are being treated as criminals. Their life, their education and sanity is greatly affected. The government is pushing children of Kashmir to opt a path of violence,” Naseema said with anger and remorse in her eyes.

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