Hostility meets NDRF initially in flood-hit Kashmir

SRINAGAR: When NDRF personnel were rushed in here 12 days back, topmost on their minds was to rescue people marooned in flood waters but they had no idea that they will face hostility from those whom they were saving.

At various places in Srinagar, the personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) faced anti-India sloganeering, stone pelting and even one of their personnel was knifed.

Five NDRF people were injured and a few of their boats were snatched by the locals, according to NDRF officials.

One boat is still missing. A life jacket was also snatched by some mobs, they said.

The situation was more severe towards the beginning of the rescue operations but improved later, the officials said.

"Initially, there were incidents of stone pelting...There was stone pelting in Lal Chowk area... One of our boys was knifed on his right hand," said Inspector Ramakant Pandey, whose unit has been involved in rescue operations.

As many as 35 teams of NDRF, each comprising 47 personnel, have been engaged in rescue and relief operations since they were rushed in here from Bhatinda, Ghaziabad and Gandhinagar on September 5 as flood waters entered the city and the level rose rapidly.

The force has evacuated 50,629 people so, according to its spokesman.