Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 16: One person was today killed in clashes between security personnel and protesters who attacked a police post in Kupwara as protests were held in some parts of the curfew-bound Valley where now 40 persons have died and over 3,100 left injured in the violence since last week.
A mob attacked a police post at Hatmulla in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district this afternoon following which the security personnel retaliated. One person was killed and two injured in the incident, a police official said.
The deceased has been identified as Shoukat Ahmad Malik.
With this, the death toll in the violence that followed the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani has mounted to 40 while 3,140 persons including 1,500 security personnel have been injured.
Minor protests were reported from some parts of the Valley but the miscreants were chased away by security personnel who resorted to baton charge, the official said.
“The situation elsewhere in Kashmir valley today remained relatively peaceful,” he said.
Authorities prevented newspapers from hitting the stands today as some media houses claimed that police raided their printing presses last night and seized the material while cable TV services were also affected in most parts of the Valley.
The police official said curfew remained in force in all 10 districts of the Valley as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.
He said the decision to continue the curfew was taken in view of large number of stone-pelting incidents across the Valley yesterday.
Two persons were killed and 23 others, including 9 securitymen, injured in the violence yesterday as mobs indulged in stone-pelting after defying curfew in many parts, while a police station was attacked with a grenade and firing by suspected militants from amidst the crowd of protesters.
Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in strength across the Valley for strict implementation of the prohibitory orders, the official said.
Mobile telephone services in the Valley also remained suspended to prevent any rumour-mongering. “Only postpaid connections of BSNL are working,” the official said.
All telephone services including landlines were not functioning in Kupwara district today. Mobile Internet services continued to remain suspended for the seventh day today while trains are also off the tracks in the Valley.
Greater Kashmir, the English daily published from the Valley, alleged that police arrested Printing Press foreman Biju Chaudary and two other employees.
“The policemen seized the plates of Greater Kashmir and printed copies of Kashmir Uzma and closed down the GKC printing press,” the paper claimed.
Violent protests rocked Kashmir last weekend following killing of Burhan Wani and two of his associated in an encounter with security forces on July 8 in Kokernag area of Anantnag district.
The separatist groups yesterday extended the strike call till Monday evening.
Meanwhile, three North Kashmir districts of Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara today had all communication links cut off from rest of the Valley .
All kinds of telephone lines — landline as well as mobiles — were snapped in the three districts following death of a youth in security forces firing during clashes in Kupwara district.
“The decision to snap telephone services was taken to prevent rumour mongering as many areas in North Kashmir have witnessed surge in mob attacks on security installations over the past two days,” a police official said.
While mobile telephony is suspended across Kashmir for the past eight days, the broadband Internet services have also been downed in these three districts today, he said.
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