Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Apr 17: Scores of students and a police officer were injured as thousands of students of various colleges across Kashmir valley protested against last week’s police action in Pulwama Degree College that left 54 students injured. The widespread protests forced authorities to close down Higher Secondary Schools, Colleges and Universities across Kashmir for tomorrow and mobile internet was also shutdown.
In response to a protest called by Kashmir University Students’ Union (KUSU), hundreds of students took out a protest march from SP College and Women’s College here at MA Road in City Centre this morning. As the protests grew stronger along MA Road and protesters tried to march towards Lal Chowk, police swung into action and used water-cannons and teargas against the protesting students.
The students retaliated by resorting to stone pelting on police. Police fired dozens of teargas shells inside the premises of both SP College and Women’s College but students including girls continued pelting stones. The clashes in the city centre resulted in chaotic scenes and panic. Police also used pellets against the SP College students during which one youth received pellet injury in his eye.
As soon as the news about violent clashes spread, hundreds of students from Gandhi Memorial College Baba Demb, Bemina Degree College and Amar Singh College Gogji Bagh took out protest rallies. Students at Baba Demb and Bemina Degree College clashed with police. Police fired teargas to disperse them.
The protests spread to Regal Chowk, Residency Road, Polo View Barbar Shah, Nowhatta, Bhori Kadal and Naid Kadal where youths pelted stones on police, resulting in partial shutdown. Additional contingents of police and paramilitary force personnel were deployed in areas to quell the protests. The clashes also erupted outside SSM School Parraypora between students and police.
Protests spread to all other nine districts of the Valley where students in thousands took to the streets. Students of Higher Secondary Schools also protested. In Pulwama district of South Kashmir, the authorities had already announced closure of Degree College fearing protests but clashes erupted at Murran Chowk, Newa, Main Market, Pampore, Tral, Haal and in other areas between student protesters and security forces. Police fired teargas and pellets to quell protests.
Shopian and Kulgam districts also witnessed large-scale student protests. The students in Shopian and Kulgam townships clashed with security forces in and outside their college premises. Police fired teargas against the protesters. In Anantnag district, student protests erupted at Khanabal, Bijbehara, Dooru, Shahabad and other areas.
In Central Kashmir, clashes were reported from Ganderbal town between hundreds of students and security forces. The protesting students resorted to stone-pelting on security forces. Police fired scores of teargas shells to disperse the students.
The North Kashmir districts also witnessed student protests. At Baramulla, thousand students from Government Degree College Boys and Government College for Women protested and marched on the streets. Police used force to disperse the student protesters and also detained many of them.
At Sopore, massive clashes erupted between student protesters and police in main town areas. The protests by students were also held in Bandipora and Kupwara districts.
The students of Kashmir University, Central University and Islamic University of Science and Technology also held protests but they concluded peacefully.
A police spokesman said: “Students of different colleges protested at some places in Kashmir valley today. While at most of the places the students protested inside their college premises, at few places in Srinagar, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam the students assembled on the roads and indulged in stone pelting thus disrupting the movement of general people and traffic on busy roads.”
“The police at these places exhibited maximum restraint and dispersed the stone pelting mobs of students by using some teargas shells. At some places the College property was also damaged. In the resultant chaos some students received minor injuries and most of them were discharged after first aid. While tackling the stone pelting SHO Kothibagh and four policemen were injured at MA Road Srinagar. A lady constable had a fracture in her arm.”
Due to heightened tensions and intensified protests, Government directed telecom authorities to snap high speed 4G and 3G services in the Valley. After Government directions, only 2G services were functional.
In the meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Baseer Ahmad Khan issued an order and directed closure of all universities, colleges and Higher Secondary Schools in Kashmir Valley tomorrow (April 18).
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