HT photographer Waseem Andrabi was assaulted and his cameras were damaged by the police in Srinagar when he arrived at the spot where the two Jaish-e-Mohammad militants were killed by the security forces on Thursday.
"I was the first to reach the spot. The encounter had just finished and the two bodies were lying on the road. I was stopped by policemen about 30 metres away. They did not allow me to click pictures. When I resisted, they assaulted and pushed me," said Waseem.
When Waseem tried to shoot from a distance using his telephoto lens, an AK 47 carrying policeman shouted and ordered his men to "snatch his cameras and mobile phone". "Within no time they pounced on me and took away my cameras and mobile phone," said Waseem.
"After about five minutes the equipment was returned but the data chips were missing. When SSP Ashiq Bukhari reached the spot and I protested in front of him, they returned my chips but both were damaged. They had dipped them in water," he said. "Luckily I had an additional chip in my pocket and we were allowed to capture after some time," he said.
HT has forwarded a written complaint to director general of police Kuldeep Khoda. However, when HT tried to contact inspector general of police SM Sahai in the evening, he did not take the call.