Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, July 18: Eid-ul-Fitr was today celebrated with religious fervor and gaiety across the State with thousands of people offering prayers at Eidgahs, Masjids and Shrines.
The festivities at few places were marred by clashes between stone throwing protesters and police in which over a dozen persons including police men were injured.
The biggest Eid congregation was held at Srinagar’s Hazratbal Shrine where Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition, Omar Abdullah, joined over 50,000 devotees in offering Eid prayers. The two leaders exchanged Eid greetings and embraced each other at Hazratbal and offered prayers in the same row next to each other.
Reports said that as the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers concluded at Hazratbal, Mufti walked over to Omar Abdullah and both embraced each other. Both the leaders prayed for peace and prosperity in Kashmir and in the region. They also met people and exchanged greetings with them.
The second largest congregation was witnessed at Srinagar’s Eidgah where around 50,000 people offered Eid prayers. Around 15,000 people offered prayers at Polo Ground in the city while smaller gatherings were recorded at all major Eidgahs, shrines and Masjids in the Valley.
Larger congregations were also held in Baramulla, Anantnag, Budgam, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Ganderbal, Bandipora and Kupwara district headquarters.
Following apprehensions of violence in Srinagar and other towns, police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was deployed in riot gear at sensitive places of Srinagar city and other major towns.
Over a dozen people including four policemen were injured in clashes that broke after the prayers at several places.
The protestors pelted stones at police and CRPF who fired teargas shells to disperse them. The ISIS and Pakistan flags were also waved at Eidgah in Srinagar and several other places in Srinagar.
The clashes erupted after Eid prayers when youth in Nowhatta Chowk and Eidgah area of downtown city waved Pakistan and ISIS flags, raised slogans and pelted stones on police. Police fired teargas shells when youth pelted stones on them resulting in injuries to over a dozen including a woman, a minor girl and four policemen.
Clashes also erupted in Anantnag where CRPF smashed the window panes of many residential houses in Cheeni Chowk and Reshi Bazar after protesters pelted stones at police and CRPF. The ding dong battles broke out soon after the prayers. Many vehicles parked in streets and on roadsides were damaged.
Sporadic protests were also reported from Baramulla and Sopore after Eid prayers, but mostly they remained peaceful.
Protest demonstrations were also held outside the residence of Geelani in Hyderpora to protest his house arrest by police.
Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani had called for peaceful protests after Eid prayers across Kashmir. Police has kept all the separatists under house arrest as a precautionary measure to ensure peaceful Eid congregational prayers and celebrations.
The leaders who were under house arrest include Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, senior separatist leaders Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai and Ayaz Akbar.
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