Valley continues to simmer for 23 Day, People resilient in south to keep protests going

• Locals donate food, money to help financially-weak families; youth keep vigil during night to avoid police raids
• Sopore youth succumbs, police say he had fallen from a tree
• Curfew, shutdown cripple life for 23rd day
• LeT chief appears in public rally in Pulwama
• Over a dozen hit by pellets in Shopian, Kupwara

Kashmir continues to simmer with anger as over a dozen people sustained pellet injuries in police and CRPF firing in Shopian and Kupwara districts while curfew, restrictions and shutdown remained in force for the 23rd straight day on Sunday.
Seventeen-year-old Ishfaq son of Abdul Khaliq Dar of Tarzoo, Sopore, who, according to his family was beaten to pulp by Police on July 23, succumbed at SKIMS Soura Sunday morning.
After being critically injured, doctors at SKIMS operated on him and put him in ICU.
Director SKIMS, Dr A G Ahangar said the youth’s brain was critically damaged after he was hit by Police and CRPF men on his head.
“He could not sustain the head injury and succumbed to his injuries today,” Dr Ahangar said.
However, Police in a statement quoting SP Sopore said Ishfaq had fallen from a tree.
Meanwhile, curfew remained in force in five police station areas of Srinagar – Nowhatta, Khanyar, Batamaloo, Safakadal and Maharajgunj, Anantnag town, Pulwama town, parts of Baramulla town and Shopian town as restrictions on assembly of four or more people continued in entire Kashmir.
Schools, shops, and business units continued to remain closed sand only medical shops remained open across the Valley.
Five persons were injured when paramilitary forces and Police stopped a large gathering of people at one point on way to Imam Sahab, resulting in intense clashes.
Police and CRPF men fired pellets at protesters at Imam Sahab area in south Kashmir’s Shopian district injuring five persons identified as Nasir Ahmad, Aquib Hussain, Kifayat Hussain, Rayees Ahmad and Omais Ahmad.
The injured were admitted at District Hospital Shopian where they are undergoing treatment.
“They have multiple pellet injuries,” a doctor at the hospital said.
Clashes also broke out between youth and police and CRPF men at Regipora in border district of Kupwara this evening. The police and CPRF men fired pellets and tear gas shells on the protestors. At least nine people sustained pellet injuries and were evacuated to Kupwara hospital.
Meanwhile, thousands of people thronged to the Martyrs Graveyard in Kareemabad village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district to offer Fateh Khawani to remember slain militants.
The inhabitants had decorated the graves of militants with garlands and fresh flowers, and banners displaying militants had been put at many places on way to the graveyard.
More than 50,000 people including the families of many slain militants had gathered in the village to offer special prayers to the slain militants.
The villagers had made special arrangements for the people by erecting dozens of make-shift stalls to distribute food stuff, water, milk, juice, fruits and Tehri.
Although, authorities had sealed the main town Pulwama to thwart public movement, people managed to reach the venue from different link roads.
People from Kakapora, Newa, Tral, Awantipora, Rajpora, Ramhoo and other towns and dozens of villages had started marching toward the venue since Sunday morning.
Abu Dujana, the Kashmir chief of Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit, was also seen in the rally.
People also waved Pakistan flags and chanted pro-Pakistan, pro-Azadi and anti-India slogans.
Many top HM militant commanders including Naseer Ahmad Pandit, Bilal Ahmad Bhat, Afaq Janbaz and Abdul Rashid Bhat belonged to Kareemabad.
However, Superintendent of Police, Pulwama, Muhammad Rayees Bhat said curfew had been imposed in Pulwama and no large gathering had assembled in Kareemabad.
Earlier, the unified separatist leadership comprising of Syed Ali Geealni, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik had appealed people to visit the Martyrs Graveyards and offer Fateh Khawani there besides painting pro-freedom slogans as graffiti on walls and roads.
Mobile Internet services continued to remain snapped in Kashmir where the postpaid mobile telephony services have been restored across all networks.
The incoming facility on prepaid connections has also been restored, but the outgoing calls are barred on such numbers.
The separatist camp has extended the shutdown call in Kashmir till August 5, calling for march to Hazratbal shrine on Friday.
Meanwhile, amid curfew, restrictions and shutdown, over 10,000 aspirants appeared in the common entrance test conducted by the J&K State Board of Professional Courses Entrance Examination (BOPEE) for entrance to MBBS, BDS and engineering courses.
The government officials said 17 centres were established for the test.
The administration had made special arrangements to provide transport to candidates for reaching the venue of the test.
All the centers were fixed in safer areas of the city to ensure smooth conduct of the test.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Education Minister Naeem Akhtar visited Government Women’s College here but faced hostile situation as parents of the aspirants shouted slogans against the CM and her government.
The protesting parents said the presence of the CM and her security would disturb the candidates, forcing the CM to leave the venue.
People in south Kashmir are showing resilience to keep the fervor of freedom running and keep the agitation going.
From residents collecting the food items and money to help those facing financial problems to keeping night vigil for avoiding raids by forces on a village, the protests are only getting louder and shriller.
In the restive areas of Pulwama, Kulgam and Anantang, the fervour for the freedom has amplified as people have shown camaraderie in the protests. People are not only attending to those, who have been injured in the attacks by forces, but groups of youth have managed to print the banners of the militants despite the shutdown.
The fervor has been fueled by the craving among the people for the “Azadi” as well as due to the appeal by the separatists and militant outfits HM and LeT asking people to maintain the brotherhood.
Helping out young boys to intensify the pitch for freedom are the women, who are equally taking part in the protests. “Azadi sentiment is deep rooted here,’’ said a woman of Kakpora.
At Kakpora bridge, a roadblock is zealously guarded by children and youth, who have collected the rocks and logs from the areas to prevent any movement of traffic.
Few meters away from the roadblock is the Samboora village —connected through a bridge with Kakpora. Both the villages have witnessed widespread protests after the killing of HM militant commander, Burhan Wani on July 8.
Imtiyaz Ahmad, 22, of Gundi Bagh, Kakpora, said the villagers are collecting the money and the eatables to help those who are in need of money.
“There are people, who are facing monetary problems and we take out a load carrier and collect the vegetables for them. Even we send some vegetables and clothes to those in Srinagar, who were injured in the protests,” he said.
Feroze Ahmad of Dogripora, Pulwama, said they are keeping the night vigil to avoid the raids by forces.
“Some of our youth were arrested but we are staying awake in groups during the night hours to ensure that the women are not molested by the force personnel,” he said.
Residents said there won’t be any let up in the protests until freedom.
“We are ready to fight the Indian might till our last breath. Our dream is freedom and we will achieve it Insha Allah. However, we should take care of people who have no avenues to handle the unrest economically,” said Bashir Ahmad, a Kakpora resident.
Another youth said they want to keep “cruel” forces away from the village. “This is our way to resist and we will try our level best to ensure that our women are safe”.
Accusing police and CRPF men of high-handedness, a farmer Mohammad Akram said, “Force personnel barge into our houses every time we protest. Beating youth and damaging property has become a routine for cops in our village”.
While youth are participating in pro-freedom marches, elders ensure that they are being encouraged and helped out.
“Some people can’t afford to shoulder the responsibilities of their families in the unrest. So, we have decided to help them by collecting ration and vegetables,” said a school teacher, wishing anonymity.
He said many affluent people contributed to the Baitul Maal recently to help less privileged families.
In parts of Kakpora and Kareemabad, flex banners printed by people with the pictures of slain HM commander, Burhan Wani, and his associates are lining up along the roads.
From the mosques, Kashmiri songs which eulogize militants and freedom are being played out during the day as the marches make their way from different alleys.
A masked youth, who identified himself as Parvaiz Ahmad, said he would lay down his life to protect the honour of women.
“Many of our women have been molested. We will teach the forces a bitter lesson,” he said, as shards of glass, pieces of brick and pebbles lay strewn on the bridge at Sangam.
The youth ensure that the blockade is maintained and look out for the patients in the ambulances to make them the way.
“We will run this movement till the last drop of our blood,” said another youth, Mohammad Asim Dar, who was joined by group of young boys amidst chanting of slogans like “We want Freedom” and “ Gun Solution, Gun Solution Only Solution.’’