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Disturbing videos depicting the torture of policemen by protesters in Azad Kashmir have gone viral on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
In one video, angry protesters in a hilly area are seen brutally attacking and beating the policemen with sticks, resulting in visible wounds and blood on the heads of the victims.
Now who is going to be blamed for this ‘Sanehaa 11 May’ in Azad Kashmir? pic.twitter.com/wFarEXcVEi
— Anwar Lodhi (@AnwarLodhi) May 11, 2024
In another video, a police officer is seen falling from a hill after being attacked by an angry mob.
Azad Kashmir 😢 pic.twitter.com/lbHTDd1vtq
— Anwar Lodhi (@AnwarLodhi) May 11, 2024
Azad Kashmir has been engulfed in protests as residents demand significant economic reforms, including cheaper utilities and tax revisions. The demonstrations have escalated into violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement authorities, resulting in casualties and widespread disruption.
The unrest was triggered by a call from the People’s Action Committee for a shutter-down strike, prompting businesses to close and normal life to grind to a halt in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir.
Protesters have demanded a wheat subsidy similar to that in Gilgit Baltistan and electricity tariffs based on the production cost from the Mangla Hydropower Project in AJK. They also seek the abolition of unnecessary perks for the ruling class, lifting restrictions on student unions, and the standardization of cellular and internet services.
The situation intensified when police, including Pakistani Rangers, fired tear gas, pellets, and bullets to disperse the demonstrators, resulting in casualties. Amid the chaos, the administration imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, prohibiting gatherings of more than five people in several districts for ten days.
