Fresh clashes rock J&K, many hurt

On a day when an all-party meet was being held in Delhi to discuss the ongoing unrest in Kashmir, many parts of the Valley erupted again, leaving scores of people injured in clashes between curfew-defying crowds and security forces.

While the authorities snapped all mobile telephone services, except post-paid facility on state-run BSNL, in the Valley from Thursday night “as a precautionary measure”, a private service provider was on Friday evening asked to suspend the high-speed Internet facility to its subscribers, including major Srinagar newspapers. These curbs and curfews and other security restrictions would remain in place during next four days, official sources said.

Clashes were reported from different areas of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian, Baramulla, Budgam, Ganderbal, Kupwara and Bandipora districts. The security forces, reports said, used batons and fired teargas canisters and pellet guns to quell protests and stone-throwing youth. In Sopore town, 48 km northwest of here, more than two dozen protesters were injured, many of them in pellet gun firing. A huge procession emerged of the town’s Chanakhan area, but soon was met by security forces. On the outskirts of Sopore, Bomai, Warapora, Tujjar Sharief and Hadipore witnessed protests by irate crowds after Friday congregations in mosques.

About 40 people and a dozen security personnel were injured in clashes in central district of Budgam. At Imam Sahib in southern Shopian, the security forces resorted to aerial firing to disperse a protest, reports said. Dialgam, Aarwani, Bijbehara, Gopalpora, Shangun, Kokrnag, Dooru and half-a-dozen other areas in neighbouring Anantnag and Kulgam districts also erupted with clashes and protests. Six protesters were injured at Arhama in Ganderbal district, the police said.

A police statement issued here Friday evening said that more than three dozen incidents of stone-pelting were reported from across the Valley even as most cities and towns remained under curfew or security clampdown was enforced by security forces.

The police said that while dealing with protesters and stone-hurling mobs, the deployments “exercised utmost restraint despite severe provocations at a number of places” and added that many policemen and security forces personnel were “reported injured during these clashes”.

Independent MLA Sheikh Abdur Rashid was along with other activists of his Awami Itehad Party arrested by police immediately after they sat on protest dharna at Srinagar’s Mushtaq Press Enclave. The protesters resisted the police action and in the melee and while being dragged into police vehicles half a dozen of them sustained minor injuries, witnesses said.

As the protests have spread to Muslim- majority areas of the Jammu region, mainly Chenab valley, at least, ten persons including local Station House Officer were injured in a clash in the town of Doda after Friday congregational prayers at local Grand Mosque, officials said.

However, in Srinagar and rest of the Valley no such congregations could be held at major mosques including Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid or Grand Mosque which remained locked on the fifth consecutive Friday with hundreds of local policemen and paramilitaries in riot gear surrounding the place of worship.

Authorities earlier on Friday snapped all mobile telephony services, except post-paid facility on state-run BSNL, in the Valley “as a precautionary measure” in view of last Friday’s fierce clashes which had left four persons dead and over 400 injured. Mobile telephony services were snapped in the entire Valley at midnight on Thursday night and only post-paid connections of BSNL are working. Private service providers said on Friday that they have received phone calls from police authorities asking them to suspend the Internet services forthwith to their subscribers including local newspapers and journalists.

There were rumours that these services available on fixed Broadband lines may also be withdrawn or curtailed as the authorities are bracing for what is going to be “most crucial” period of the ongoing unrest. The separatists who are virtually calling the shots have announced a ‘referendum march’ on Srinagar’s historic central square Lal Chowk on August 13 and 14. Another such show has been planned at the summer headquarters of the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) at Sonwar here on August 17.

They have also while extending the protest programme by one week from August 12 said that people will continue to sit at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk till August 14 evening. August 14 is Pakistan Independence Day which the separatists, as per their fresh calendar of protests, would be observed also by holding special prayer meetings after all the five mandatory Muslim prayers (namaz) for the “stability” of the neigbouring country.

“The next day which is India’s Independence Day, a complete shutdown would be observed and civil curfew enforced to observe it as a black day,” they said. They have also said, “From 7 am onwards that day the people will block all the roads towards and around the places of celebration of Indian Independence day; District Development Commissioners (DCs) are asked not to hoist the Indian flag in any part of the Jammu and Kashmir...parents are requested not to send their wards for participation in these celebrations”.