Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar May 8: Life in Sopore town of North Kashmir remained disrupted today against the arrest of youth by police and injuries to scores of persons in last evening’s clashes between stone pelters with police and para-military Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
There was spontaneous shutdown today in Sopore during which stone pelters clashed with police and CRPF at many places in the town.
Scores of youth were injured in Sopore town last evening soon after the polling concluded for Baramulla Parliamentary constituency. A youth had sustained critical injuries after troops opened fire to disperse the stone-throwing protesters in the town.
Since early morning, youth at several places in the town took to streets and held protests. The protesters pelted stones on police and CRPF. Police chased away protesters by firing tear smoke shells. However, no one was reported injured in the clashes.
The shops, schools, commercial establishments remained shut in the town with thin traffic on the roads.
A few groups of youth also beat up several people of Kupwara, Handwara, Uri, Rafiabad at Sopore and Baramulla towns for casting their vote in yesterdays polls.
Sources said that youth in Old Town Baramulla and Sopore Bus Stand stopped vehicles that were coming from Uri, Kupwara and other places to check ink mark on the index fingers of the people.
Those who had blue ink mark on their index finger were beaten up and some were also stripped. Window panes of around one dozen vehicles of Kupwara were broken at Bus Stand and Iqbal Market.
Groups of youth also beat up several people from Rafiabad, Khadniyar and Handwara at Cement Bridge Baramulla, Azad Gunj, Tawheed Gunj.
However, a police officer said that a vehicle from Kupwara was stopped in Sopore by some youth and they beat up some passengers. He said that police reached the spot and chased them away. He also said that another incident was reported from Azad Gunj area of Baramulla but no one was beaten up there.
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