Mujtaba Wani
SRINAGAR: Scores of people, including personnel of the police and paramilitaries, have been wounded as clashes erupted at many places in Kashmir over the killing of a youth by the Army in north Kashmir on Tuesday.
Tahir Ahmed Sofi was killed after the Army fired live bullets in Baramulla. He was hit in the head and chest.
Defying the curfew, people in downtown Srinagar gathered in Mosques including the historic Jamia Masjid, chanting anti-India slogans and playing pro-freedom songs through public address systems, witnesses say.
They asked others to come out of their houses, angry after personnel of the CRPF allegedly smashed window panes and beat up residents.
Reinforcements of police and paramilitaries were rushed to the downtown city to enforce the curfew more strictly.
In Baramulla, where Tahir Ahmed Sofi died, and a curfew is in force, clashes broke out in the morning.
Witnesses said a huge procession marched till Azad Gunj area. But they dispersed peacefully. However, violent clashes broke out at the Cement Bridge area in old Baramulla town, they said.
Many protesters have been injured, at least one of them hit in the eye with a pellet.
In Batmalloo area in Srinagar, security forces lobbed tearsmoke shells and resorted to cane charge to disperse protesters who chanted anti-India slogans.
Several persons, including some security personnel, were injured as the demonstrators and the police pelted each other with rocks.
Clashes were also reported from Trehgam in Kupwara, where the police and paramilitaries fired tearsmoke shells at protesters who pelted them with stones.
Officials told the United News of India that more than 70 people in total have been wounded in stone pelting incidents at Kupwara, Sopore and Baramulla in north Kashmir alone.
“There were also clashes reported from Bemina, Parimpora, Zakoora, Soura, Nowhata, Padshashi Bagh, Mehjoor Nagar and a couple of places in Srinagar city,” a policespokesman said.
He said clashes occurred at Sangam, Batapora in Anantnag, Narbal in Budgam, Cement Bridge, Khanpora in Baramulla and Rahpora Qiomoh in Kulgam.
Reports of demonstration and stone pelting were also received from city outskirts like Machowa on Srinagar-Charar-e-Sharief road.
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