An 11-year-old boy was killed and nearly two dozen people wounded in fresh clashes across Kashmir Valley on Monday, breaking a comparative four-day lull in violence.
Meanwhile, the authorities have ordered a probe into a shooting incident in which five persons including a nephew and a cousin of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Mohammed Yasin Malik were injured at Maisuma here. The policeman who opened fire has been placed under suspension and “put under confinement to the quarter guard,” an official release here said.
Eyewitnesses said that the policeman walked into congested Maisuma locality at about 12.30 pm and opened fire using pellet gun on a group of youth playing a board game without any provocation. Mr Malik who was attending on his cousin Yasir Sheikh who is seriously injured said, “It seems to be deliberate on part of policemen, a target (attempted) killing.”
However, the police said that some “miscreants” violated the orders of restrictions of movement in Maisuma which was followed by stone pelting upon the police and the CRPF personnel. “The miscreants were chased. However, seven persons including two policemen received injuries,” a statement issued by police said but is silent on how the civilians sustained injuries.
Locals said that the clashes erupted between crowds protesting over the shooting incident and the security forces only after the youth busy in a board game were targeted.
“The area was peaceful although large number of policemen and CRPF personnel had been deployed at Budshah Chowk, about 150 yards from a side street where some boys were busy in a carom game, apparently to enforce security restrictions. All of a sudden a group of them showed up and one policeman opened fire,” said a resident who wished no to be named for fear of reprisal. The police said that an enquiry has been initiated to know the facts which led to this incident and that one police constable has been suspended. “The said constable has been put under confinement to the quarter guard,” it said.
Later during the day the violence spread to Anantnag and Bandipore. At Anantnag’s Reshi Bazaar, the police and the CRPF opened fire again using pellet guns injuring half a dozen persons.