2 more killed in Valley violence
Two more persons were killed and scores injured when security forces while confronting irate crowds opened fire in Srinagar and southern district of Pulwama on Thursday. With these killings, the one week toll has risen to 31 and to 49 since June 11.
Following the latest killings, thousands of residents came out on the streets to defy curfew. Chanting pro-freedom slogans, they clashed with the CRPF and the police at some places.
Meanwhile, mike-fitted police jeeps again took rounds warning the residents of “shoot-at-sight” orders on Thursday. However, special director CRPF N.K. Tripathi denied that any such orders have been issued to his force.
“These are only rumours as no such orders have been issued to the CRPF,” he said adding that the CRPF has opened fire only in self defence and to protect the public property and not unprovoked as is being alleged.
In another development, more than 300 members of riot-proficient Rapid Action Force (RAP) soon after their arrival in the Valley have been moved into volatile parts of central Budgam and southern Anantnag district, official sources here said.
The CRPF on late Wednesday evening opened fire after one of its pillboxes reportedly came under attack by a rock-throwing mob in Srinagar’s Ganpatyar locality.
One person Gulam Mohammed Badyari, 50, was injured and died in a hospital on Thursday, triggering widespread protests in the neighbourhood. The police and CRPF fired teargas canisters and also swung bamboo sticks to break up the protests but in vain as surging crowds including large number of women continued to relocate to Ganpatyar.
Similar protests were held also in the city’s Bemina area where a 25-year-old youth Mohammed Yakub had been killed and another wounded in CRPF firing on Wednesday evening.
In southern Pulwama district, thousands turned up at Rasm-e-Qul or the fourth day ceremony of one of the local youth killed in police firing. The security forces had been withdrawn from the area to allow the people to assemble beside the grave but strict curfew was being enforced on the town of Pulwama.
In the afternoon, a huge procession headed for the town but was met by the security forces near the Government Degree College. As the use of tear smoke and cane-charge failed to break up the procession, the security forces opened fire injuring several persons one of whom Shabir Ahmed Malik died in a Srinagar hospital later.
Protests were held and clashes between irate mobs and security forces occurred also at various places in nine out of 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley despite non-stop curfew being enforced by thousands of police, CRPF and other Central security forces. At Samboora outside Srinagar, members of local police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) allegedly opened fire on lorries carrying relief for the people of neighbouring curfew-bound villages injuring eight persons, reports said.
Post new comment