Shutdown, Protests continue for 81st Day, 30 Injured in force’s action, 1 Critical
- Girl killed, sister injured after being hit by a vehicle during stone pelting at Parimpora: Police
- Cops foil pro-freedom rally in Kanelwan, damage 5 transformers, injure 12
- Kanelwan residents accuse forces of damaging harvest
- Panchayat house gutted in Kulgam village
- Women stage protest rallies at many places
- Clashes in downtown
- 51 arrested in 24 hours: Police
The life in Valley remained crippled for 81st consecutive day on Tuesday while protests continued unabated and forces fired pellets and tear gas shells to foil a pro-freedom rally in Kanelwan area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, injuring atleast 12 people.
Police said a girl was killed and her sister injured after being hit by vehicle during stone pelting in Parimpora area in outskirts of Srinagar.
A police spokesman said 20-year-old Fozia and her 18-year-old sister Nadia daughters of Mohammad Sidiq Lone of Gulbagh were hit by a Scorpio near Rogan Gali Parimpora in outskirts of Srinagar this morning.
“The driver while reversing his vehicle hit the girls as his vehicle was stoned by the miscreants early morning,” he said.
The spokesman said the girls were critically injured. “Both were shifted to hospital, where elder sister Fozia succumbed to injuries.”
He said police has registered FIR No 222/16 has and taken up investigation.
The spokesman further said a man identified as Furqan Hamid son of Abdul Hamid of Zoonimar was injured when miscreants pelted stones on him near Allie Masjid Eidgah, Safa Kadal in downtown Srinagar while he was riding a scooty.
“He received injury in the head and was shifted to SKIMS Soura for treatment. The doctors have termed his condition as stable,” he said.
Meanwhile, life in Valley remained paralyzed for 81st consecutive day due to shutdown called by separatists and restrictions imposed by authorities.
All shops, business establishments, petrol pumps and educational institutions remained closed while public transport was off the roads.
A police spokesman said although none of the areas in Kashmir was under curfew but restrictions on the assembly of people were in place in many parts of the Valley to foil protests.
The youth at Nawab Bazar in downtown Srinagar took to roads and staged protest demonstration. They clashed with police and CRPF men, who fired tear smoke shells and resorted to baton charge to disperse them. The youth pelted stones on them. The clashes continued for some time.
In Batamaloo area, a protest rally was taken out by men and women. Chanting anti-India, pro-freedom and pro-Pakistan slogans, the protestors were demanding an end to civilian killings and resolution of the Kashmir issue. After the protestors disperse off, minor clashes broke out between youth and cops. The cops fired tear gas shells to disperse the stone pelting youth.
Clashes were also reported from Gandarpora, Noorbagh and Cement Kadal areas in downtown Srinagar.
South Kashmir
Police, CRPF and army in a bid to foil a pro-freedom rally in Kanelwan area of Bijbehara in Anantnag district laid siege around the area to prevent people from participating in the rally.
As people tried to assemble despite restrictions, forces used baton charge, fired tear smoke shells and pellets to disperse the protestors. At least 12 people sustained injuries in the forces action. Some of the injured were hit by pellets.
However, despite forces using excessive force, people staged the rally during which people condemned the civilian killings and demanded peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue.
The locals said the forces damaged 5 power transformers, set ablaze harvested crop and beat men and children before leaving the village.
In Samboora village of Pampore, forces fired tear smoke shells and resorted to heavy baton charge to disperse the people, who were protesting highhandedness of the forces.
At least 10 people sustained injuries in the forces action.
The locals alleged that the forces barged into residential houses, beat the inmates and damaged the household goods.
Women also held rallies in some parts of south Kashmir including in Nikas and Tral area of Pulwama district.
The clashes also broke out between youth and forces in Kujjar village in Kulgam district.
The locals alleged that during the clashes, forces lobbed many tear smoke shells which landed in Panchyat ghar, causing fire to it.
“The fire was later doused by the locals,” they said.
However, a police official said miscreants in their attempt to disturb the situation set on fire a Panchayat Ghar at village Kujar.
He said minor damage was caused by fire to the panchayat ghar, a concrete building.
Police Version
A police spokesman said the situation remained by and large normal and peaceful today although a couple of stray stone pelting incidents were reported.
“In its continuous efforts to curb the activities of trouble mongers, police arrested 51 miscreants during past 24 hours. The arrested persons were involved in different offences of causing disturbance in the situation in the valley,” he said.
The spokesman claimed during the day, good movement of traffic was observed in the valley including the city Srinagar.
“A large number of street vendors selling different articles of daily use were on the streets of Srinagar city,” he said.
