“Brought dead” is a term doctors use to certify that someone carried into the hospital has already lost life. That was what Abdul Gani Poswal, too, did. Only that the Kashmiri medical officer began to cry once the official formalities got over. For, the teenaged deceased was his son.
The dramatic scene unveiled at Pulwama District Hospital in the southern part of the volatile Valley upcountry, where a 14-year-old boy was brought in on Friday, having been hit by security forces’ bullets at an encounter site not far away. Dr Poswal of the hospital, after checking the deep wounds in the chest of the boy who was motionless, declared him “brought dead”. Then, as he wrapped the body in white cloth, the doctor wept uncontrollably.
Poswal’s son, Faizan Gani—a class 10 student—had died when he was engaged in stone-throwing protests by youths along with scores of youth in forested Chatapora area where one militant had been killed in an encounter with the army earlier in the day. As the security forces fired bullets, pellets and tear-smoke shells at the protesters, dozens of youngsters were injured. Among them was Faizan.
A colleague of Dr Poswal on Saturday described June 29, 2018 as “the saddest day” for the district hospital in Pulwama, 30 km south of the state capital Srinagar, noting that a fellow doctor had lost his son to the ongoing conflict. “We stand with the bereaved family and express our deepest condolences,” reads a Facebook post of Dr Abdul Rashid Para, medical superintend of the hospital.
“I express my gratitude to many doctors and paramedics in addition to those who were on roster duty for staying beyond their official time to help the injured in yesterday’s encounter. Their services on the ground made a difference as all injured were stabilized and treated but unfortunately, our doctor colleague’s son was received brought dead where we all became helpless,” the post added. “The local people also extended their help and support. They have always stood with us at such times and on behalf of administration I thank them all.”
Faizan had gone to Chatapora apparently after it reported an encounter between three militants and security forces. According to the police, five civilians later visited the spot in Thamna village and got injured in a “cross-firing”. They were rushed to Pulwama’s district hospital, where one succumbed to his injuries. “The others are stated to be stable now,” a police spokesman in Srinagar said.
It all began on Friday afternoon when a joint patrol of the security forces launched a search operation in Thamna after they got information about militants present in that village. As searches progressed and security forces advanced toward a house, militants hiding inside fired upon the joint patrol of security forces, triggering an encounter, said a police spokesman in Srinagar.
The security forces had inputs about the presence of three militants inside the house, but a lone body of a militant was recovered when a search was carried out after the encounter. “Apparently, the other hiding militants managed to escape from the spot after making indiscriminate fire around the site of the encounter,” he added.
The spokesman said the deceased militant was identified as Sajad Ahmad Shah, a resident of Gund in Chogul district’s Handwara area. He was affiliated with proscribed terror outfit LeT, the spokesman said, adding “he was involved in a number of attacks on the security establishments and civilian atrocities.”
A rifle and ammunition were seized from the site of encounter.
