Srinagar, Feb. 22: An 11-day-old infant died on the spot and his four-year-old brother injured when a group of youth, allegedly part of a stone-throwing mob forcing a shutdown in northwestern Baramulla, attacked a family travelling in a taxi on Monday.
The police said one Niyaz Ahmed Magray and his wife Kulsooma hired a Tata Sumo to relocate to Baramulla town from their village Rawach in the remote Rafiabad region to get their 11-day-old son Irfan Ahmed to a doctor. While entering the town, they were intercepted by two youth in a Tata Sumo who abused them for violating a shutdown.
The family pleaded that the infant could not be treated locally and would die if not taken to hospital immediately. But the irate youth refused to budge, after which the couple agreed to return home. While taking a U-turn, the youth attacked the car and in the scuffle that followed the infant fell on the ground from his mother’s lap and died soon afterwards. His brother, four-year-old Ubaid Ahmed, was injured in the scuffle. DIG (North Kashmir) Abdul Qayyum Manhas said it was a case of murder, and that the police was investigating. "A manhunt has been launched for the murderers, who were
part of a group of youth earlier seen forcing closure of
shops in the area," the DIG said.
Spontaneous protests broke out in the area as word of the incident spread.
Age Correspondent