Agencies
Srinagar, September 8:
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday, 7 September, adopted a fresh strategy for nabbing stone-pelters by planting its men among them at the historic Jama Masjid downtown, allowing them to arrest the real culprits in action.
After the Friday prayers, a mob started pelting stones at police and CRPF personnel but there was no retaliation at first, and not even a single teargas shell was lobbed or baton-charge initiated by law-enforcement authorities.
As the crowd swelled to over 100 people and two chronic stone-pelters started leading the agitation, the first tear gas shell was lobbed at the mob, dispersing them.
However, to the surprise of the two stone pelters who were leading the mob, they were grabbed by policemen who had been covertly placed in the crowd, and whisked away in waiting vehicles.
The policemen, who had disguised themselves as stone-pelters, brandished toy guns to scare others off while the duo were taken to the police station.
Perplexed by the development and caught unaware by the police strategy, the stone-pelters ended the protest early.
This is not the first time this strategy has been adopted. It had earlier been used in 2010 when scores of policemen were deployed among mobs to identify and arrest stone-pelters in the area.
