Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Apr 15: A youth was killed allegedly by Border Security Force (BSF) at Batamaloo area of Srinagar city this evening while at least 54 persons, most of them students, were injured after massive stone-pelting clashes raged in and outside Pulwama Degree College in South Kashmir today.
One Sajad Hassan, 22, received head injuries after BSF men opened fire on a group of youth near Reck Chowk in Batmaloo this evening. A small convoy of BSF was coming from frontier Kupwara district and they were supposed to reach Humhama.
Sources said that they lost their way and entered interiors of Batamaloo. As the youth at Reka Chowk spotted BSF vehicle, they pelted stones on them and the BSF opened fire, killing Sajad Hussain of Chundusa Baramulla, presently residing at Sheikh Dawoood Colony, Batamaloo. Sajad was rushed to SMHS hospital where doctors declared him as brought dead.
A Police spokesman said that they are collecting the details and are looking into the circumstances under which Sajad Hussain Sheikh of Chandoosa Baramulla at present S D Colony Srinagar got killed. “The district police administration Srinagar has informed that there was no deployment in the area. The matter is being investigated”, he said.
At least 54 persons, most of them students, were injured after massive stone-pelting clashes raged in and outside Pulwama Degree College.
A police officer said that a normal joint checkpoint of police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was established around 200 meters away from Degree College Pulwama. “As class work ended, some miscreants started pelting stones at the security forces party. To handle the stone pelting, reinforcement was rushed to the spot. The mob swelled as more students joined and pelted stones on the forces,” he said.
However, the students negated the police version and said the security forces attempted to raid the college to arrest some of the students involved in protests and stone-pelting on army vehicle that had entered their campus few days ago. The students said that to resist the raid, they staged protest which was dealt with force, ensuing clashes.
The clashes spread to nearby Pulwama town and hundreds of youth clashed with security forces who responded by firing pellets and teargas shells. Due to intense shelling, all the shops and commercial establishments were shut while traffic also disappeared from the town. The Degree College administrative block suffered damage during the clashes.
Official sources said that a total of 54 persons – majority of them students including girls – sustained injuries and were referred to local hospital. They said five critically wounded persons were referred to Srinagar hospitals for specialized treatment but their condition is stated to be stable. Most of the injured were hit by pellets and teargas shells. A police spokesman said some cops were also injured in the clashes.
Due to volatile situation, hundreds of police and other security forces men were deployed in entire Pulwama Town to prevent escalation of violence. Meanwhile, protests also broke out Kashmir University here against the Pulwama College violence. The students assembled inside the varsity campus and raised slogans. There was no report of violence from Kashmir University and the protest concluded on peaceful note.
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