Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Aug 3: Massive protests broke out in old city areas of Srinagar since morning after the killing of a youth in shot gun (pellet) firing by security forces in Karan Nagar area of the city last night and over 150 people including 40 police men were injured across Kashmir, mostly in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
The death toll and injuries in fresh protests since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Burhan Wani, has now gone up to 52 while over 6500 people including 3000 security men have been injured while shutdown, curfew and protests paralysed life for 26th day today.
Killing of a man, Riyaz Ahmad Shah, an ATM guard in Karan Nagar area of Srinagar last night led to massive protests in Srinagar’s old city area where protesters defied curfew and clashed with police at several places.
Shah was spotted by an auto-driver near Syed Mansoor Sahib (RA) Shrine near Government Medical College at around 10:30 pm in a pool of blood outside a CRPF camp.
Shah was on his way home and he was hit by pellets fired by security forces from point blank range. The autopsy report revealed that he was killed in pellet firing and over 200 pellets were found inside his abdomen. Police have questioned the CRPF personnel deployed in the area in connection with the killing of Shah.
The killing triggered massive protests as large number of people came out in the streets in old city’s Safa Kadal, Darish Kadal, Qamarwari, Bemina and Chhattabal areas.
People marched towards Chhattabal where from the body of Shah was taken in procession towards Eidgah where his funeral prayer was offered by several thousand people. The youth’s body was later taken back to his ancestral graveyard for burial.
Soon after the burial, hundreds of youth clashed with security forces at Darish Kadal, Safa Kadal, Chhattabal and Kak Sarai. Police fired dozens of teargas shells and pepper gas canisters. Several persons sustained injuries in the clashes and they continued till evening. Additional reinforcement was rushed to the areas where clashes erupted. The clashes also erupted in other areas of the old city soon after deployments were withdrawn.
Earlier, this morning, the authorities continued imposition of curfew in old city areas, Batamaloo and Maisuma to prevent protests. The curfew also continued in several towns of South Kashmir.
Over 100 protesters and three dozen policemen were injured in massive clashes that broke out in Adijan village of Kulgam district as CRPF and police tried to quell a protest march this afternoon.
People in Kulgam and Shopian districts in thousands were marching towards Adijan village to attend a protest rally. Large numbers of protesters were on bikes, cabs, tractors etc. However, security forces had imposed curfew in the area and put barricades at Adijan bridge to prevent the rally. The people tried to remove these barricades to reach the venue leading to clashes with police and CRPF.
The security forces fired teargas shells and pellets to disperse the protesters. Over 100 protesters are reported injured in the firing of teargas and pellets.
Six youth who are grievously injured have been admitted to SMHS hospital in Srinagar.
In the meantime, thousands of people today attended the funeral of Farooq Ahmad Kuchey, who was killed last night in Lethpora area of Pulwama on National Highway by the security guard of ADC Ramban Babu Ram.
Thousands of people today attended a massive protest rally at Arwani in Bijbehara. The gathering was addressed by a local militant of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) Lateef Kachroo.
Protests and clashes were reported from Shopian, Kupwara, Bandipora, Sopore, Budgam and Anantnag.
The Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq held sit-in outside their respective residences. Reports of such sit-ins by people were also received from several parts of the Valley.
A police spokesman said here that 15 incidents of stone pelting were reported across the Valley today. “These incidents were reported from Srinagar, Kulgam, Sopore, Shopian, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Budgam and Awantipora”, he said.
The spokesman said that 40 police and security force personnel and 12 people were injured in these clashes.
“As a precautionary measure curfew and restrictions were put in place in some police stations of Srinagar, Anantnag town, Bongam in Shopian, Khanpora in Baramulla, Awantipora and Pampora towns”, the spokesman said.
He added that over 450 people involved in violence were arrested and detained across Kashmir. “In its continuous drive against the hooligans and miscreants, 349 accused persons have been arrested in the Valley. Besides, 122 have been detained under prohibitory provisions of law”, he said.
The Valley observed shutdown, protests and curfew for 26th day today. Schools and colleges remained closed. The attendance in the Government offices was negligible in Srinagar city and other parts of Kashmir Valley.
The train services between Banihal and Baramulla remained disrupted for 26th day today and major roads and highways also remained shut.
The shops, business establishments and most of the banks remained shut with only some shops selling essentials opened in the early morning and late evening and people were seen busy in buying essentials.
The prepaid cell phone services and mobile internet continues to remain blocked across Valley and only BSNL broadband internet services are functional.
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