Rakib Altaf
SRINAGAR: Curfew continues to remain in force across Kashmir valley for the fourth consecutive day today to prevent violence during protests over the hanging of Afzal Guru.
The death toll so far is three and over 50 people including several policemen have been wounded.
Police and paramilitary are deployed in strength and reinforcements have been called in. Rolls of concertina wire block entry to roads and streets in all major towns and cities.
There have been protests in many parts of the valley including northern district of Baramulla where reports say five youth were wounded, one of them seriously.
Police and paramilitaries shot pellets at protesters who attacked a minister’s cavalcade and a teenager, Muzamil Rather suffered massive damage in the eye.
Protests were also reported from downtown Srinagar.
Separatist leaders have either been arrested or confined to their homes. Senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has asked people to observe a shutdown till Friday.
The police have also stopped publication of newspapers in Srinagar since Sunday. Even cable operators are not being allowed to beam news channels except for the government-owned Doordarshan television.
All examinations have been postponed.
On Monday, a large number of mourners participated in the funeral of a teenage boy, Obaid Mushtaq who succumbed late Sunday night at the Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar.
The ninth class student was among the five injured in firing by police and paramilitaries at Watergaam village, and was wounded in the stomach after the police and paramilitaries fired live bullets to quell protests there.
The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah asked police and paramilitary to exercise maximum restraint while dealing with the situation.
Authorities fear protests could snowball into a major uprising and repeat the summer 2010, when a teenager died after he was hit by a teargas shell. The death led to a series of protests in which 111 people – mostly young men and children – were killed due to police or paramilitary firing on protesters.
In Watergaam, another youth Sajad Ahmed also received a bullet in the head and is still battling for life at the hospital.
A resident of the village told this reporter over phone that “CRPF had no reason to shoot the boys. They were running in an alley when CRPF saw them and fired bullets.”
Meanwhile the body of another teenage boy, Zameer Ahmed was found from the river Jehlum in Sumbal area near capital Srinagar.
Tariq Ahmed’s had been recovered the previous day itself.
The youth drowned after they were fleeing from police and paramilitaries during clashes in a boat which capsized.
More than 50 people have been wounded so far – 23 among them are policemen including two officers, police say.
