Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 18: Two scribes and a senior police officer were among three persons injured in stone-throwing clashes that erupted in parts of Srinagar and Anantnag towns this afternoon.
Soon after Friday prayers, dozens of masked youth assembled outside the Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area of Srinagar and waved Pakistan and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant outfit flags and displayed posters of Pakistan based JeM Chief Azhar Masood.
Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel who were deployed at the main entrance of Jamia Masjid compound did not allow the protesters to come out on the main road and fired teargas shells to disperse them. The protesters retaliated by pelting stones and bricks resulting in clashes between the two sides.
Police fired dozens of teargas and pepper gas shells to contain the stone-pelting and also chased the rock-throwing youths but the protesters continued pelting stones. The clashes in the area continued for several hours and later spread to adjoining areas of Gojwara, Saraf Kadal and Rajouri Kadal.
At Habba Kadal area of Old City, groups of youths pelted stones on a CRPF Camp after Friday prayers and raised slogans against beef ban. The stone-pelting, however, concluded instantly and the situation was also normalized.
In Anantnag town of south Kashmir, demonstrators protesting against beef ban resorted to heavy stone-pelting on police and CRPF at Lal Chowk after Friday congregational prayers leaving two scribes and a senior police officer injured. The scribes are working with two national news channels while the police officer has been identified as SHO Adil of Sadder police station.
Police fired dozens of teargas shells to disperse the stone-pelting protesters and also chased them several times. The clashes resulted in halt of commercial activities in otherwise busy Lal Chowk for hours.
The situation in restive north Kashmir was normal as compared to other days but a minor stone-pelting incident took place at Sopore Town. Witnesses said a group of youths hurled rocks at CRPF camp located in State Bank of India (SBI) building.
The Valley has been tense since last week following High Court directive to police and authorities to ensure ban on sale and consumption of beef in the State and mysterious killings of three Lashkar-e-Islam militants whose bullet-riddled bodies were found in an orchard of Pattan in Baramulla district early this week.
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