Yasin Malik Detained, Protests in University; 12 Persons Injured Across Valley: Police
SRINAGAR: The police and paramilitaries in Kashmir have used force to break up demonstrations against the killings by the CRPF in Shopian district.
Five people have killed in firing by the CRPF personnel in Gagren village since Saturday.
The authorities have ordered the camp to replaced by the state police personnel and have also ordered a magisterial inquiry.
A curfew, imposed on Wednesday after the latest killing, is still in force in at least six towns in Kulgam and the Shopian district. However, angry youth defied it in Gagren to protest against the CRPF.
A journalist in the area told FreePress that the protestors were peaceful until the police and paramilitaries lobbed tearsmoke shells to disperse them. Nobody has been injured so far.
In Srinagar, clashes erupted at Maisuma locality in the civil lines after the police detained a senior separatist leader alongiwth nearly a dozen of his associates.
Muhammad Yasin Malik who heads the pro-Independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front took out a rally from his Maisuma residence and tried to march towards the Lalchowk area when police took him into custody.
Later his supporters threw rocks at the police, who used tearsmoke shells in retaliation.
In the old quarters of the city, violent clashes were witnessed near th Jamia Masjid after Friday prayers. However the clashes were brief amid rain.
Hundreds of students in Kashmir University also staged a massive protest in the campus. Students from all Departments of Kashmir University soon after Friday prayers assembled outside the campus Mosque and took out a rally against the Shopian killings.
A statement issued by the police said 12 persons – 10 police, paramilitaries and two civilians were injured across the valley.
Senior separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani has called for a two-day shutdown from tomorrow against the violence in Shopian.
