Cops resort to firing inside Kashmir University campus

Srinagar: A policeman was suspended after he allegedly opened fire in the air following a scuffle with a group of youth playing cricket in the University of Kashmir ground today.

Superintendent of Police Hazratbal Abdul Qayoom said the suspended cop, Mehrajuddin of Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police (JKAP), was on deputation at the university campus. The official said they have found two empty cartridges in the ground but no one was injured in the firing.

The incident took place when a cricket ball landed in the garden adjoining the university Vice Chancellor's office. As one of the players went to get the ball back, an armed police guard objected to his "trespassing" into the garden.

According to eyewitnesses, the policeman "verbally abused" the player. The situation turned violent after sometime, when the policeman returned with his colleagues, started beating up the players and spectators and opened fire.

University authorities, however, remained tight-lipped about the incident. When contacted, the vice-chancellor's office, close to where the incident took place, said he was in a "selection committee meeting".