Budgam Army Firing: The Car That Failed to Stop Had Actually Skidded, Says Probe Report

Budgam:  The Maruti car that failed to stop at an army checkpost on Monday, had actually skidded and hit an electric pole on the roadside, says a report by the Budgam District Magistrate. The fallout was fatal. The army, which says it had intelligence inputs about a movement by militants, opened fire, in which two teenage civilians - one of them a 14-year-old - was killed.

On Wednesday, a separatist call for strike in Kashmir valley paralysed normal life, as shops and business establishments remainder closed. In Srinagar, the government imposed curfew in parts of the city in the wake of the strike call.

Expressing its regrets for the incident, the army, in a statement, had said the soldiers had opened fire when the vehicle didn't stop at the checkpoint despite being signalled to stop

The District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Budgam, have submitted a joint report to the state government and the Election Commission. Visiting the spot, NDTV, too, found the damaged electric pole, which carries bullet marks on it as well.

The locals said there was only one checking point not three as claimed by army. Also, they say it was a constant source of harassment for them.

 The incident had taken place at the same spot where two years ago, an Army team had allegedly killed two soldiers and injured three others in a case of "mistaken identity". And yesterday, clashes broke out between the locals and security personnel in Nowgam area over the incident.

"The recent deaths have served to vitiate the poll atmosphere already strained by the post flood reconstruction challenge that people face (sic)," Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had tweeted. He said he had spoken to Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, who has promised a fair inquiry into the incident.

The state will witness five-phase polling between November 25 and December 20. The counting of votes will take place on December 23.