Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Jan 1: At least two dozen protesters including 6 police men were injured in South Kashmir township of Pulwama after fresh clashes broke out between protesters and police soon after curfew was lifted from the township this morning.
The curfew in the township was imposed on Friday after 8 people were injured in security forces’ firing in village Chandigam and Pulwama town soon after two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants were gunned down by security forces on Friday morning. Government has ordered magisterial inquiry into the firing incident.
Curfew in the township was lifted this morning following a meeting between the district administration and the Civil Society Pulwama last evening. The meeting resolved that curfew will be lifted from the township to restore normalcy.
As the curfew was lifted from the township, the shops didn’t open following strike call given by the traders as some of the shops had suffered damage during the curfew and clashes in Muran Chowk in Pulwama town.
Reports said scores of people mostly youth assembly in Muran Chowk and protested against police and security forces. The protesters turned violent and attacked the Police Station Pulwama resulting in clashes between stone throwing protesters and Police for several hours.
Police charged batons and fired tear smoke shells on the protesters to disperse them. One of the tear smoke shells hit a youth Zubair Ahmad Pandit son of Mohammad Rafiq Pandit of Karim Abad critically injuring him. He was removed to Srinagar’s SKIMS hospital where his condition is stated to be critical.
The ding done battles continued in the township during which around 2 dozen protesters and 6 police men were injured. The injured police men have been identified as Head Constable Ghulam Nabi, Constable Adil, Constable Mohammad Abbas, Selection grade Constable Mushtaq Ahmad and constables Ashiq Hussain and Jalil Ahmad.
Police later arrested 8 people from the township on charges of stone throwing. They have been identified as Sajjad Ahmad Bhat of Dhargund Pulwama, Javed Ahmad Malik of Medoora Tral, Pulwama, Showkat Ahmad Dar of Muran Chowk Pulwama, Sameer Ahmad of Rajpora Pulwama, Showkat Ahmad of Rajpora Pulwama, Gulzar Ahmad Kumar of Chatpora Pulwama, Mohammad Altaf Gania of Chatpora Pulwama, Mudasir Rasool of Muran Chowk Pulwama and Younis Dar of Munghama Pulwama.
Police and para-military forces were later deployed in full strength and restrictions were imposed on the movement of the people to control the protests.
A police spokesman said in Srinagar that situation in Pulwama town remained normal barring sporadic incidents of stone pelting. “Today some miscreants pelted stones at Muran Chowk forcing traders to shut down their shops. Police exercising maximum restrain chased them away. Two policemen were injured in the incident”, the spokesman added.
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