Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 20: Police foiled a separatist march to South Kashmir township of Shopain that was under curfew for the ninth consecutive day today while police claimed that one of the four persons killed in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) firing in Shopian on September 7 was a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir range, Abdul Gani Mir while addressing a press conference said here that the fourth man killed in CRPF firing at Shopian on September 7 was LeT militant, Abdullah Haroon.
Mir said: “That is established. The person who was killed in Gagran (Shopian) is Abdullah Haroon. Every evidence has substantiated that. It has been confirmed by our sources in various places.”
The IGP said that the slain militant was identified by a number of persons including a top arrested Lashkar commander Fahadullah.
Mir said Haroon was part of a 10-member Lashkar squad which had shifted from Sopore in North Kashmir towards South Kashmir. “We have all the evidence to prove that he was Haroon. The investigations carried out, the things seized right from the mobile, pistol and grenades…In mobile we got this video which certainly proved that this module was there,” he said.
The IGP said: “In the video, there are weapons which were snatched from a policeman and a CRPF man from two different places in south Kashmir some time back. He said that the mobile phone recovered from the scene of firing incident had DIALER and SKIPE applications that are only used by LeT militants.”
Giving details of the incident on September 7, Mir said four youth riding two motorcycles were passing by the Gagran CRPF camp at Shopian. “The first motorcycle was stopped. Then another motorcycle came…One person took out a pistol and fired. In retaliation, as you know, four persons were killed,” he said.
The IGP said while there was no militancy record against the three local youth killed in the firing incident. “However, relatives of two of the deceased were involved in militancy”, he added.
“One person’s brother was a militant and was killed in 2006, another’s brother was killed while trying to cross the Line of Control in 1992. The third person – Tawseef – was booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) because of stone pelting.
“We are investigating under what circumstances these persons were accompanying the Lashkar militant. At least two of them – Tariq and Yousuf, let me tell you, were not on an excursion with the LeT militant,” Mir said.
In the meantime, Shopian remained under curfew for ninth consecutive day today. The town is under curfew since September 8, barring September 11 when the authorities lifted curfew, but protests and subsequent firing led to another death and re-imposition of the curfew in the town.
Four persons were killed allegedly by CRPF personnel outside their camp on September 7, while another was killed on September 11.
Police fired tear smoke shells and resorted to baton-charge to foil a march in Nowhatta area of Srinagar, when supporters of Hurriyat Conference (M) tried to take out a protest march to Shopian to express solidarity with families of the youth killed in CRPF firing. At least 30 protesters and a police officer were injured in day long clashes in Nowhatta and its adjacent areas.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who had called for march to Shopian, besides Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, Bilal Gani Lone, Moulana Abbas Ansari and Agha Syed Hassan were put under house arrest while several other Hurriyat Conference activists were detained and lodged in various police stations of Srinagar city.
Around 10.30 a.m. Hurriyat Conference (M) activists assembled at Jamia Masjid and took out a procession. The protesters marched peacefully from various localities of the downtown towards Lal Chowk, but police intercepted them near Rangar Stop, Khanyar.
Police fired tear smoke shells and used batons to disperse the protesters. The firing of tear smoke shells led to chaos and youth pelted stones and bricks towards the police. The ding dong battle continued for several hours.
When the news spread that police has used force against the protesters, the tension gripped the area. Stone pelting soon started after the incident at Nowhatta, Rajouri Kadal, Saraf Kadal, Nawakadal, Khanyar and other areas of downtown. The protesters blocked majority of the roads leading to downtown.
During the clashes more than 30 youths including a Deputy Superintendent of Police and some policemen got injured. The youths were admitted in various hospitals. A photojournalist of AFP, Tauseef Mustafa and a Press TV video journalist were injured in clashes in Nowhatta.
Soon after the conclusion of Friday prayers at historic Jamia Masjid, people held a protest demonstration against the State Government decision not allow the Hurriyat Conference (M) march to Shopian and against house arrest of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other leaders.
When the protest reached near the main gate of the Jamia Masjid, a large contingent of police and CRPF blocked their entry and did not allow them to proceed ahead. The youth pelted stones at police and CRPF and police fired tear smoke shells and also resorted to baton charge to disperse the protesters.
The protesters took shelter in lanes and pelted stones towards police from various directions. A large group of youths also assembled at Nowhatta Chowk and pelted stones towards the police and CRPF.
Protests were also reported from north Kashmir’s Baramulla town and the nearby Palhalan village. Shops and businesses establishments remained closed after Friday prayers in the main town Pattan.
The villagers of Palhalan blocked the Srinagar Baramulla highway and pelted stones at police and paramilitary forces. Police fired tear smoke shells to disperse the protesters to clear the high way for traffic.
The clashes also broke out in Baramulla old town after Friday prayers. Police fired dozens of tear smoke shells to disperse them.
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