At least four policemen were killed in Rawalakot and 20 others injured following clashes between law enforcers and supporters of the newly banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), according to police.
In a statement issued on Sunday, police said the casualties occurred when JAAC supporters “attacked” the CMH Rawalakot. It alleged the demonstrators were armed and declared the attack “terrorism.” Police further vowed zero compromise on the safety of citizens and public peace.
According to local officials, at least two of the protesters also died in retaliatory fire, with dozens more reportedly injured. There are reports of further unrest in the region, but cannot be independently verified as the government has blocked mobile data services across the region.
The situation is Rawalakot reportedly deteriorated after a trade was allegedly shot during a confrontation with law enforcement on Friday night. According to local media, the trader’s family subsequently sought his postmortem from the CMH, with the JAAC staging a sit-in outside the hospital until it was completed. Police attempts to disperse the protest triggered a confrontation, though there were no initial casualties reported on either side.
The deceased’s family, meanwhile, said they would not bury him until the government withdrew its notification to declare the JAAC a banned organization.
Prior to the imposition of a ban, the JAAC had announced a strike across Kashmir on June 9, demanding the abolition of 12 seats for refugees of India-held Kashmir from the AJK Legislative Assembly ahead of the July 27 elections. The JAAC alleges the 12 seats are used to “control” the government and do not represent the residents of the region.
This demand faced a setback last week after the AJK Supreme Court ruled that only the elected government could amend the region’s constitution and reduce or abolish seats reserved for refugees.
The JAAC had staged similar protests last year, demanding heavily subsidized food and electricity, with the federal government claiming 35 out of its 38 demands had been addressed.