Srinagar: The death of a teenage girl sparked massive protests in north Kashmir’s Kunzar town on Saturday, witnesses and police said. Police used tear gas shells in the town after people came on roads and raised anti-government slogans. Locals claim that the girl, who had come to her relative’s home in Aatipora, was raped by an Indian Reserve Police (IRP) constable posted as a guard for the minority community in the area. Officials said the deceased, a resident of Kunzar-Tangmarg, had gone to the house of Farooq Ahmad Dar in Aadipora, Tangmarg, who is her relative, late last night. The IRP constable was caught by the locals in an ‘indecent position’ with her, a police official told GNS .He said locals handed over the constable to police on Friday and he is under detention. “The constable had an altercation with Farooq Ahmad Dar,” he said. A senior police official, while confirming the arrest of the IRP constable identified him as Zahoor Hussain of 13th Bn posted at Baiwah Kunzar, said an FIR no 24/2014 under sections 306, 376, 457 and 511 has been lodged. But locals say the constable had barged into the girl’s residence and raped her. Police, however, out rightly refute the claim. Locals say after the teen was allegedly raped she developed medical complications and was shifted to a local hospital where she died. But police sources told GNS that the girl had not developed medical complication, but consumed poison after the arrest of the constable. A police spokesman in a statement said: “A girl (name with held) had reportedly called the said constable to Aadipora. The girl objected to the altercation between her brother-in-law Farooq Ahmad Dar and Zahoor Hussain. The said girl reportedly consumed some poison and was rushed to a nearby hospital where from she was shifted to SMHS Hospital Srinagar for treatment. The doctors declared her brought dead. “ Locals on Saturday brought her body to Kunzar and blocked Srinagar-Gulmarg road and pelt stones on police. The post mortem of the deceased was conducted in presence of senior officials. (GNS)
