Security forces under fire for mosque damage

In Bogund village deep inside South Kashmir, a new crisis stares Jammu and Kashmir government in the face. The 32-hour-long standoff between...

In Bogund village deep inside South Kashmir, a new crisis stares Jammu and Kashmir government in the face. The 32-hour-long standoff between security forces and two militants left the Jamia mosque — where the latter were holed up — damaged, sparking angry protests from villagers. Top BSF officers, pledging they would undertake the repairs of the structure, could do little to calm the protesters.

Villagers spilled out onto the streets, forcing markets to close down. As they threatened to march to the scene of the shoot-out, police stepped in to block their way.

‘‘We want to show our anger. This tragedy could have been averted by letting the militants go. We don’t understand why it was necessary to burn the mosque,’’ said Fayaz Ahmad, a protestor, blaming security forces for the fire.

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The police fired shots and burst tear gas shells to quell protestors, injuring eight civilians and three policemen in the process. Earlier, at the crack of dawn, security officials decided to pin down the two militants after the intermittent shoot-out lasted through the night.

The village was shaken by heavy blasts around 10 am as fierce gunbattle ensued between security forces and militants. While militants hurled grenades at the security forces, BSF, Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group jawans retaliated with heavy firing.

‘‘Some of their own grenades exploded inside the mosque. In the cross-firing, the mosque caught fire,’’ said the BSF Deputy Inspector General Prithvi Raj, at the site where firemen struggled to douse the flames. The shrine next to the mosque, however, escaped damage.

Peeking through window, 65-year-old Ahmadullah wept bitterly: ‘‘We would have had no regrets had our house been burnt. But our place of worship is damaged… the scar left on our mind will never heal.” The stand-off started at 4 am on Wednesday when forces sealed the village after a tip-off that militants were hiding there.