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| Violence spirals, pilgrims attacked | | Two more dead, over 70 injured as protests spread across Valley | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | June 25
The communal violence in the Kashmir Valley further deepened today with the protesters mindlessly attacking the Amarnath pilgrims injuring around half a dozen of them and sending a wave of fear psychosis among the pilgrims.
In a rare string of reaction in Kashmir, the protests spread across the Kashmir Valley as the rural areas, which usually remain calm to such demonstration, too erupted in protests resorting to stone pelting on security forces and pilgrims particularly in Central and South Kashmir.
At least six pilgrims have been reportedly wounded in stone pelting by an irate mob as violence spread to other parts of the Kashmir Valley, forcing the authorities to suspend the pilgrimage.
The Srinagar police said four pilgrims returning from the Amarnath Cave shrine via the north Kashmir Baltal route were injured when a mob started throwing stones at their vehicle near Nishat Garden, on the outskirts of Srinagar city.
'The injured pilgrims were taken to the Hazratbal sub-district hospital where doctors gave them first aid. All the injured pilgrims are out of danger,' said superintendent of police Javaid Koul.
The pilgrimage to the shrine was suspended as the police and paramilitary were engaged in unending clashes with protesters all along the north Kashmir route to the shrine in Ganderbal district.
The police and paramilitary forces were dispatched to major and minor towns as the protests enveloped Budgam, Pulwama, Anantnag, Baramulla and Bandipore districts. A spontaneous strike crippled life in the valley.
Two civilian have been reported dead and sixteen others were injured were when police opened fire on protest demonstrations at two different places, while at least forty persons including seven cops were injured as furious mobs damaged windscreens of over dozens of private vehicles at various places in Valley.
Protest continued throughout the valley and the Srinagar city along with other districts witnessing complete shut down with little movement of traffic on roads on second consecutive day today. Reports pouring in from different parts of Valley said that the people in groups came on roads and raised anti-government slogans demanding cancellation of government order 'land transfer' and judicial probe in killing of youth in police firing.
People came on roads in large number at Mazhama Magam and blocked Srinagar-Gulmarg road. The protestors soon turned violent and started pelting stones on the cops, which tried to disperse them by using lathicharge. However, the situation turned ugly when some of the cops opened nozzle of their barrels and fired several bullets on the protestors. The cops fired directly aiming at the protestors and seven persons received bullet injuries.
One of the injured, identified as Farooq Ahmed Rather son of Abdul Samad of Mazhama was rushed to SKIMS, where he was declared brought dead. Similar protest demonstrations were reported from all most all the major towns of Kashmir Valley.
Police allegedly opened fire on a group of protesting youth at Nowa Bazar area of down-town Srinagar, this evening, killing one civilian and injuring around ten others. Chanting slogans against the government decision and PDP-Congress coalition government people took to streets and throw stones on vehicles at Nowhata, Ganderbal Lal chowk. 'Humari Zamin ko wasp kar, wasp Karo, congress-PDP hai hai and Kashmir ko Bachao' like slogans were raised by the people.
Irate mobs also indulged in stone-pelting on passing vehicles at Anantnag, Shopian, Pulwama, Bandipora and Baramulla districts damaging windscreens of over a dozen vehicles.
A Police report said that one person died, nineteen others including four policemen, two CRPF personnel and three tourists were injured in different incidents in Srinagar and Budgam. SSP Budgam, S A H. Bukhari said that one person Farooq Ahmad Rather, son of Asadullah, resident of Mazhama Budgam was killed by a stray bullet which hit him when he was in his home on second storey. Police had resorted to firing in air to disperse the protestors. He said Constable Nitin Kumar was seriously injured at Mazhama Magam in Budgam district in the stone pelting. The seriously injured police man has been admitted in ICU at SKIMS. |
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