3 killed, over 200 hurt in fresh clashes in Kashmir

At least three persons were killed and over 200 people injured, eight of them critically, in renewed clashes across Kashmir Valley on Friday.

The police identified one of the slain men as Muhammad Maqbool Wagay, who was hit in the chest when the security forces opened fire to quell a violent protest in Chadoora area in the central district of Budgam. Thirty-seven others were also injured in the clash and seven of them, who have sustained critical bullet or pellet injuries, have been admitted to a Srinagar hospital.

A 26-year-old, identified as Danish Rasool, was killed in pellet gun fire at Wagoora in the north-western town of Sopore. A third person, 21-year-old Sameer Ahmd Wani, was brought dead to Srinagar’s SMHS hospital from Khan Sahib area, also in Budgam, doctors said, adding that he had a single bullet wound in the head.

Officials said that scores of the J&K police and members of CRPF and other central forces were also injured in the clashes and stone-pelting incidents, which were on in many areas across the Valley when reports last came in.

The fresh incidents, amid extended curfews, have occurred on a day when the Centre told the Supreme Court that the law and order situation in Kashmir Valley has improved considerably since the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani, with violent protests having gone down from 201 on July 9 to 11 on August 3.

Earlier on Friday afternoon, clashes erupted around Srinagar’s Hazratbal shrine as security forces in riot gear came in the way of huge crowds marching towards the revered place of worship on the western shore of the Dal Lake.

The security forces fired teargas canisters and exploded stun grenades in the middle of slogan-chanting crowds which emerged of various localities including Lal Bazaar, Sadar Bal, Malla Bagh and Naseem Bagh. Earlier, people from many localities converged in an open field at Malla Bagh to offer Juma Namaz after the weekly congregational prayers were cancelled at locality mosques.

Soon after the prayers, they marched towards Hazratbal while chanting pro-freedom slogans but were intercepted by the riot police midway.

The J&K police and CRPF reinforcements arrived at the scene and fired dozens of teargas canisters and also exploded stun grenades to push the crowds back. Amid loud sounds, the acrid tear smoke was ubiquitous as this correspondent was caught in the mêlée.

Similar clashes have also been reported from some other parts of the summer capital as people are making concerted efforts to relocate to Hazratbal in response to a call issued by an alliance of separatist parties as part of its extended calendar of protests and shutdowns.

Protests were held or clashes took place between the men in khaki and slogan-chanting surging crowds also in Sopore, Bandipore, Imam Sahib, Tral, Langaet, Hajin and over a dozen other places within the Valley and in Jammu region in Banihal and Surankore areas, leaving scores injured, police sources here said.

Separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq were earlier arrested by the police after they came out of their besieged houses in Srinagar’s Hyderpora and Nigeen areas respectively and began walking towards Hazratbal.

In order to foil the “Hazratbal Chalo” call, the authorities clamped curfew across the Valley and fanned out the police and paramilitary reinforcements at dawn to enforce the restrictions strictly. The roads leading to Hazratbal area were sealed by laying Concer-tina razor wire and placing “bunker” vehicles in their middle. Friday congregational prayers were not allowed at Hazratbal.