SRI NAGAR: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Sunday said 19 of its personnel were injured after their vehicle met with an accident following intense stone pelting in Srinagar’s Bemina area.
One of the injured personnel, who suffered spinal injuries, was evacuated to Delhi for specialised treatment. The police, however, said there was no stone pelting in the area and termed the incident as an ‘accident’. It also released CCTV footage to bolster its claim.
Ravideep Singh Sahi, Inspector General, CRPF, told TNIE that three CRPF vehicles came under stone pelting at 4.45 am on Sunday. The convoy of CRPF 28th battalion, which included a truck, a bus and an armoured vehicle, were on way from Bemina to Bakhsi Stadium when the personnel were targeted by stone pelters.
Sahi said the first vehicle passed safely but the second vehicle came under intense stone pelting from a group of five-eight boys, who were hiding behind trees. “The driver of the vehicle may have tried to avoid the stones but lost control of the vehicle and hit the divider due to which the vehicle overturned,” he said.
Nineteen CRPF men sustained injuries. “Since it was an armoured vehicle, many personnel suffered multiple fractures. One of the injured jawans sustained spinal injuries and he has been shifted to Delhi for specialised treatment,” Sahi said.
Eight of the injured personnel were taken to an Army hospital in Srinagar and the rest to a nearby hospital.
But, a senior police officer said there was no stone pelting in the area when the ‘accident’ took place. The police also released a CCTV footage in which it appears that there was no stone pelting in the area.
A CRPF official claimed the CCTV footage is of the front side of the road and stone pelters did not hurl stones from there. “They pelted stones from the rear side, which is not visible in the CCTV footage,” he said. “When the injured men were being evacuated to hospitals by the Army, they again came under stone pelting.”
“Due to stone pelting, glass panes of many vehicles were damaged, but fortunately none was injured. We have also lodged an FIR in connection with the incident,” the CRPF official said.
The official added a few days ago, the CRPF IG’s vehicle came under stone pelting in uptown Srinagar. “The IG escaped unhurt but a jawan sustained injuries,” he added.