Barely 24 hours after two young Kashmiri men were killed in Army firing in Handwara, 70 km north of Srinagar, another young man was killed after being hit by a teargas shell as protests continued to rock the area. The death of Jahangir Wani has taken the death toll to four. Wani was one of many people who took to the streets to protest against the killings in Handwara, the day before.

On April 12, a teenaged girl was allegedly molested by army personnel while she was in a public bathroom. According to some locals, when the girl came out, some people surrounded her and berated her for using Army facilities. “First army personnel came out from that bathroom followed by the girl,” said Shabir, a Handwara resident.  “The army personnel quietly went inside the bunker. The girl was surrounded by local people and was asked about it. It was then that she broke into tears and said she was molested by an army man in the bathroom.”

Shabir said the locals wanted the girl to lodge a complaint in the police station, which 100 metres away from the army bunker. “As she stepped inside the police station, policemen came and took her,” he said. “When some locals followed her inside, Superintendent of Police GH Jeelani ordered the police force to baton charge the locals outside. But the force triggered rage and confrontation. It was then that both the army and police started firing.”

The confrontation between security forces and locals escalated quickly.  Mohammad Iqbal (21) was killed by a bullet in his abdomen while Nayeem Qadir Bhat (22) was shot in his face. Bhat had been recording a video of the protests. Enraged by these deaths, the clashes intensified. An army bunker was torched by angry protesters. In retaliation, the Army opened fire and another person was added to the list of casualties when an elderly lady was hit by a bullet in the head while she was working on her farm. She was rushed to the local hospital, but ultimately succumbed to the head injury. In later clashes, Jehangir Wani (25) was killed when he was hit by tear gas shells.

The girl has been in police custody since April 12. On April 13, her father was reportedly called to Handwara police station and has also been detained since then. Their house is locked. Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, which has been approached by the girl’s family, has said that both the girl and her father are being illegally detained.

Kumar Rajiv Ranjan, Kupwara Deputy Commissioner, while instituting a magisterial inquiry, said, “There are conflicting reports about who opened the fire. Some people say the police opened the fire and some say, the army. It is a matter of investigation now.” An FIR against the army has been lodged in the Handwara police station.

News of the clashes and the deaths quickly started circulating. By the time it was evening, the police released a video in which the teenaged girl gave a clean chit to the army and said that a Kashmiri youth had taken her bag. Her face was not blurred and she’s visibly upset. While this footage was evidently meant to vindicate the Army, it had the opposite effect. Many, particularly Kashmiris, pointed out that the video was shot inside a police station and that her speech sounded scripted. “The truth is the whole of Handwara market saw her crying and asserting that she was molested by the army man,” said Javeed Zargar, an eye-witness. “The  video was taken and circulated as a damage control exercise.”

Later in the face of widespread criticism, the police took the video off YouTube. The army termed the firing “unfortunate” and said, “Army deeply regrets the unfortunate loss of life. Matter will be investigated and anybody found guilty will be dealt with as per the law.”  Inspector General of Police SJM Gillani said the police was investigating the veracity of the video and that the girl is yet to give her complaint in writing. Curfew was imposed in Handwara on Wednesday morning and restrictions were also imposed in downtown Srinagar.

However, on Wednesday, the army again raised the issue of the video that had been circulated earlier: “This video is to prove innocence on the part of army. The girl purportedly molested by an army soldier exposes the malicious intent of perpetrators. Clearly implicates local youth of misdemeanour and false propaganda that resulted in massive protests.”

The four killings in two days have made the position of new Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti difficult. “The Defence minister has assured me an inquiry and action against those who were involved (in the incident),” she said. “The victims’ families will be compensated. We will ensure such incidents do not take place in the future.”

Meanwhile, curfew continued, with mobile internet services being suspended in certain parts. Officials have said this is a temporary measure and would be withdrawn as soon as the situation stabilised.