Kashmiri villagers comfort the grieving father of Murtaza, a 14-year-old civilian, during his funeral procession in Pulwama. (Photo: AP)

Srinagar: There has been widespread outrage in Kashmir Valley against the killing of seven civilians and injuries to several others in the Army firing on protesters and stone-pelting mobs in southern Pulwama district on Saturday.

Soon after the incident, protests by angry residents broke out in different parts of the Valley including summer capital Srinagar and north-western town of Sopore.

At places, irate crowds of mainly youth clashed with the police and central armed forces, the witnesses and police sources said.

Separatists called for 3-day mourning and protest shutdown against the killings and also asked the people to march on the headquarters of the Army’s Srinagar-based headquarters on Monday to tell it to “kill all of us at one time rather than killing us daily.”

A local religious organization called Anjuman-e-Islamia has, while terming the killings as “most heinous and opening up of a bloody war against unarmed civilians” in Kashmir, called for protest shutdown in the Chenab valley of Jammu region.

While the police claimed that the crowd had “dangerously” come close to the site of an encounter between the security forces and the militants in Pulwama’s Kharpora Sirnoo and, at the same time, termed the civilian killings as “unfortunate”, various political parties, both mainstream and separatists, have condemned the incident and demanded action against what they alleged are “trigger happy” soldiers.    

Former chief minister and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah termed the civilian killings as “most brutal” and said, “It was a massacre orchestrated as a result of badly executed encounter.” Reiterating his demand of exercising restraint and avoiding collateral damage, he said in a statement here, “It seems lessons have not been learned. When we start expecting situation to ease out, incidents like these put us back from where we started.”

Earlier while taking to micro-blogging site Twitter.com, he said it was “horrible day” and “blood-soaked weekend” in Kashmir. He tweeted, “Another blood-soaked weekend in Kashmir. 6 protestors killed, 1 soldier killed in the line of duty. Together with the 3 militants from this morning’s encounter that’s 10 dead. Reports of many injured at the encounter site. What a horrible day!”

Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti also took to micro-blogging site Twitetr to condemn the civilian killings.

She tweeted, “How long are we going to shoulder the coffins of our youngsters? So many civilians killed today post encounter in Pulwama. No country can win a war by killing its own people. I strongly condemn these killings.”

In another tweet, she said, “No probe enough to bring back the dead innocent civilians. South Kashmir has been reeling under fear for the last 6 months. Is this what was expected from Gov rule? The admin has failed in securing civilian lives. Deepest condolences to the bereaved”.

Separatist leader and Kashmir’s chief Muslim cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq called for three day mourning over the killings and also on behalf of ‘Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL)’, the alliance of key separatist leaders including him, asked the people to observe protest shutdown in the Valley for three days from Saturday itself and march on the headquarters of the Army’s 15 Corps at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar on Monday.

He tweeted, “#PulwamaMassacre. Bullets and pellets rain! As Govt of India has decided to kill Kashmiri’s through its #ArmedForces who control us, JRL and people will march towards Badami Bagh Army cantonment on Monday 17 Dec to ask GOI to kill all of us at one time rather than killing us daily.”

In another tweet, he said, “SOS #to all humanity! Kashmiri’s being massacred as Indian forces go on a killing spree in #Pulwama firing indiscriminately! civilian death toll has crossed 7, more than 40 youth have been hit with Bullets many critical, death toll may rise!” Calling for three days mourning and protest strike, he said, “From today onwards for three days mourning and complete protest strike will be observed all across”.

Former Union minister and NC president Farooq Abdullah alleged, “The Valley has been turned into theatre of death and destruction”. He said that the incidents like these put a big question mark on the working of government and security agencies in such circumstances. “I am deeply saddened over the killing of civilians in Pulwama. My heart goes out to families who have lost their loved ones in the incident,” he said and demanded a thorough probe into the incident and bringing those found guilty to book.

At a hurriedly called press conference, NC general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar said that Governor’s administration seemingly has given free hand to the forces to aim at civilians like sitting ducks. “The incumbent Governor administration has no respect for human rights and basic fundamental rights. Our party in unison condemns the killings in strongest terms. Such acts reveal the disdain of incumbent Governor’s administration for human rights,” he said.

He added that if such “unabated” killing of civilians are not stopped the already fragile situation in the State will further deteriorate. He alleged that the people of Kashmir are being used as fodder by the BJP-led dispensation at the Centre “to increase their electoral prospects in other parts of the country”.

Separatists’ amalgam Hurriyat Conference said the fresh spell of killings “reflects the arrogance of power of New Delhi is suffering from and the high handedness with regard to Kashmir which it treats as its colony under occupation through its repressive military control”.