Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 18: Fifteen persons including a cameraperson were injured as students staged violent protests in Main Town of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district today.
Dozens of students of Kulgam Degree College boycotted their classes and staged protests. The students after being confronted by police resorted to heavy stone-pelting while the latter fired teargas canisters and pellets in a bid to disperse them. The students despite use of force by police continued pelting stones and, as a result, the commercial activities in the Main Town of the Kulgam came to halt.
The police action left 14 students injured, among whom 3 were hit by pellets. A local cameraperson identified as Tanveer Ahmad, who works as stringer with national television channels, was hit by pellets in his one eye while discharging professional duties. He along with other injured was rushed to hospital for treatment. Due to clashes, the situation in the area was tense and additional security forces personnel were deployed to maintain order.
A police spokesman said: “some miscreants pelted stones in Kulgam market and forced the shopkeepers to down their shutters”. “The police reached to the spot and chased the miscreants. There were no serious injuries to anybody. After some time the shops were opened. General public is requested not to be part of any unruly crowd and help in dealing with the miscreants,” the spokesman added.
Massive clashes erupted in Main Town of Anantnag district after an altercation between shopkeepers and police took an ugly turn. The shopkeepers alleged that cops thrashed a trader and after which they staged anti-police protests. The shopkeepers were joined by locals and students. Police, in a bid to disperse protesters, fired teargas and the latter responded by pelting stones, ensuing clashes. The clashes between the two sides continued for over an hour and resulted in disruption of routine commercial activities.
According to officials, the class work of Sri Pratap Higher Secondary School MA Road, MPML Higher Secondary School Bagh-e-Dilawar Khan and Degree College Kulgam shall remain suspended tomorrow as a “precautionary measure”.
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