Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 17: The Kashmir valley today observed shutdown over the tragic road accident on Srinagar-Baramulla highway after head on collision between a military crane and a passenger cab that left seven people dead yesterday and the continuing bomb carnage of Israel over native Palestinians.
Shops and business establishments were closed and the public transport was off the roads. However, some private vehicles were plying on roads in civil lines. All the district and tehsil headquarters observed the shutdown.
Amidst shutdown, people staged protests in major towns.
Reports said hundreds of people gathered in Pampore town and held protests raising anti-Israel slogans.
Five youth have been injured in Baramulla and Bandipora districts in north Kashmir during the protests.
A youth was injured in Palhalan area of Baramulla after scores of youth protested against the Gaza killings and the road accident on national highway.
Locals said the injured youth has been identified as Masrat Ahmad Tantray of Raipora. He has been shifted to Sumbal hospital.
Reports from south Kashmir’s Anantnag district said that youth threw stones on police in old town areas, including Cheeni Chowk, Malakhnag, Dangerpora, Mattan and Kadipora, among others. The youth torched Israeli flags in the town as people staged massive demonstrations against Israel.
In Bandipora district, four youths sustained pellet injuries in clashes with police forces in after police and paramilitary CRPF personnel resorted to teargas shelling and used pellet guns to quell a demonstration of youth in Papchan area of the district.
The youth were protesting against the Israeli aggression on Gaza which has so far claimed at least 200 Palestinian lives, including 25 women and 40 children and the tragic accident that claimed seven civilian passengers in Parimpora on Wednesday.
The wounded youth identified as Adil Farooq, Sameer Ahmad, Mudasir Bhat and Muntazir Khan, all residents of Papchan, were immediately shifted to Bandipora District Hospital.
Adil Farooq and Muntazir Khan, who have received pellet injuries in the eye, have been shifted to a Srinagar hospital, reports said.
The youth took to streets in large numbers on today morning at various places in the town and staged massive demonstrations against the Israeli atrocities on people in Gaza.
Shouting anti-Israel and anti-army slogans, the protesters took out protest rallies from main chowk in the town.
Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani had yesterday called for protests against killings in Gaza and to mourn the death of seven persons in an accident involving an army vehicle.
Kashmir witnessed massive anti-Israel protests in the last seven days especially by students forcing authorities to close all the educational institutions for a two weeks summer break.
The Israeli government also issued an advisory to its citizens “not to travel to Kashmir”.
Police was deployed in volatile areas of the Valley including old city here and other district headquarters to thwart protests by people.
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