Kashmir: Protests erupt after Army vehicle runs over nine-year-old schoolgirl

A nine-year-old girl was fatally hit by an Army vehicle at Aglar village in Shopian district, South Kashmir, on Thursday. Police have registered an FIR against the driver, a member of the 55 Rashtriya Rifles.

Arooba Farooq – a Class 2 student – was rushed to the sub-district hospital in Zainapora, where she succumbed to her injuries. “Arooba was heading to school when she stopped to buy snacks for herself. That was when the vehicle hit her,” a relative told mediapersons.

Witnesses alleged that the driver did not stop immediately after hitting the girl.

However, a senior police officer told Hindustan Times that the girl was rushed to the hospital in the same vehicle. “The accident happened in the morning, and there was Army movement at the time,” he added.

Violent protests erupted as soon as news of Arooba’s death spread. Scores of people were injured, and Army personnel used tear gas shells to disperse the protesters.