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Water Cannons Used to Flood Militants in Kashmir

By Fayaz Wani

Srinagar, Feb 2: Indian troops used water cannons to flush out militants during a gunfight in North Kashmir on Friday. This was for the second time in the 18-year-old turmoil in Kashmir that Indian troops used water cannons to weaken the resistance of militants during gunfight.

Indian police and para-military personnel had information that four militants were hiding in a house at Dusoo, Rafiabad in North Kashmir yesterday. "Accordingly an operation was launched and the militants present inside the house were asked to surrender. They, however, did not surrender and instead fired volume of fire towards the soldiers", police sources said.

The militants were trapped in an underground portion of the building and the soldiers after facing the rain of bullets from the militants flooded the hideout by firing water cannons towards it. "The hideout was inundated and afterwards the soldiers set the upper portion of the building on fire," alleged the local residents.

They said that with the building catching fire, there was no escape route for the four holed-up militants. The Indian solders accordingly killed them.

Some villagers alleged that the four holed up militants were electrocuted as Indian soldiers after flooding the militant hideout threw an electrical wire on it. The slain militants were identified as Hamid Bhai, Abu Arshad, Abu Aslam and Abu Shamas, all Pakistani Nationals.

The bodies of the militants were drained out from the water by police and locals.

An Indian army spokesperson in Srinagar, Col A K Mathur confirmed that the soldiers used water cannons during the gunfight. "Yes, water cannons were used to reduce the fighting capability of the holed-up militants", he said.

The encounter came a day after international human rights organization, Human Rights Watch released its 2008 report in which Indian troops were accused of using abusive tactics in Kashmir during gunfights against militants.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.