Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Sept 18: Militants this evening fired on a Road Opening Party (ROP) comprising Army and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Hyderpora Bypass in Srinagar and fled away after carrying out the attack. However, no loss of life or injury was reported.
Sources said that militants came in a Tipper and fired on the ROP from a nearby building on Hyderpora Bypass and fled after carrying out firing. “The Army also fired in air forcing the militants to flee”, sources added.
The firing took place at around 7:20 p.m. causing panic in the area. The traffic remained stand still for about an hour and senior police officials rushed to the spot to assess the situation.
Initially there was confusion about what actually happened. However, later police sources said that militants fired on an ROP and fled.
The attack took place hardly hundred meters away from the deadly strike that took place in June this year, a day ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Srinagar.
Eight Army personnel were killed and over a dozen were injured in the attack that was carried out by Lashkar-e-Toiba. Despite major manhunt launched against the militants who carried out the attack, so far no one among them was killed or arrested.
Meanwhile, curfew was relaxed this evening in South Kashmir township of Shopian after over a week while police detained senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and his several supporters and foiled his march to United Nations Military Observers office at Sonwar in Srinagar.
Deputy Commissioner Shopian, Bashir Ahmed Bhat said that curfew in the district has been relaxed after improvement in situation. “If the area remains calm then we will lift the restrictions completely,” he added.
People came out after over a week from their houses. However, the shops and other business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the roads. There were no reports of protests during the curfew relaxation from any part of the town.
The Deputy Commissioner said that so far no one has come to record statement on the two firing incidents that took place at Gagran in Shopian on September 7 and September 11 in which five persons were killed. The DC had issued a notice early this week asking people to record their statements on the two firing incidents.
Curfew was imposed in Shopian on September 8 after CRPF personnel killed four persons on September 7 at Gagran Shopian and was lifted on September 11 but was re-imposed in the town next day following clashes between the protesters and security forces which led to the killing of a youth outside Gagran CRPF camp.
In Srinagar, Police today foiled Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s march to UNMOG office at Sonwar, Srinagar by detaining him after he stepped out from his residence to lead the march.
Authorities had deployed large contingent of police and para-military CRPF outside Geelani’s Hyderpora residence to foil the march.
As Geelani along with other Hurriyat activists tried to march towards the UNMO office, the security forces deployed outside his residence detained him and did not allow anyone to join the march.
Geelani was later taken to Police Station Humhama. After his detention, scores of youth took to streets at Galwanpora and Hyderpora to protest against Geelani’s arrest. Police fired teargas shells and the Hurriyat activists dispersed the peacefully. However, in the evening protesters again pelted stones at police but police fired tear smoke shells to disperse them.
The lawyers today suspended their work in support of Geelani’s march to UNMO office to present a memorandum on the killing of five persons in CRPF firing in Shopian district last week.
The lawyers attempted to take out a march from Saddar Court Complex at Lal Chowk but police deployed in strength closed the entrance of the court complex and foiled their attempt to come out.
Led by vice president of Bar Association Aijaz Bedar and Bar Secretary Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, the lawyers raised slogans against the police for foiling their march.
Clashes between protesters and police also broke out at Saraf Kadal, Kawdara and Nowhatta areas of old city this afternoon. Police fired tearsmoke shells to disperse the stone throwing protesters who were protesting against the Shopian killings.
In the meantime, hundreds of people today participated in last rites of two Hizbul Mujahideen militants, Muhammad Yaqoob Sofi alias Aquib and Bilal Ahmad Bhat, who were killed by security forces in an encounter at Goshbug, Pattan in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district last night.
Reports said that early in the morning hundreds of people from Palhalan, Pattan, Sumbal, Hajin and other areas gathered at Goshbug and staged a protest demonstrations. The bodies of the duo were taken in a procession from their Goshbug area and were buried at Palhalan.
Later, clashes broke out between youth and the forces when the former tried to take out a procession towards the National Highway. Police and CRPF fired teargas shells and pellets when angry youth threw stones at them. The clashes continued for several hours during which at five people received minor injuries.
Reports of protests and clashes have also been received from Hajin and Sumbal areas.
A complete shutdown was observed in Goshbug, Pattan and other areas to mourn the death of militants. All shops and business establishments remained closed in the area. The highway at Palhalan got closed several times during the day as protesters tried to come out on the highway.
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