A soldier gestures to stone-throwing protesters to stop as a woman carrying a child crosses the street during clashes in Srinagar. (Photo: AP)
A soldier gestures to stone-throwing protesters to stop as a woman carrying a child crosses the street during clashes in Srinagar. (Photo: AP)
Authorities in Jammu & Kashmir are bracing for another day of anxiety as separatists have called for ‘Jamia Masjid Chalo’ and asked people to converge in large numbers at Srinagar’s historic Grand Mosque on Friday for a memorial service for over 50 people killed in security forces’ firings and other actions.
On Thursday, fresh clashes erupted in different parts of the Valley, mainly Srinagar, leaving, at least, half a dozen protesters injured, five of them with pellet gun wounds.
Official sources said no such gathering would be allowed and curfew and security restrictions will again be in force from dawn on Friday in Srinagar areas and some other Valley cities and towns including southern Pulwama.
Security forces in riot gear were seen patrolling deserted streets of Srinagar during the day time. Reinforcements from J&K police, CRPF and other central forces will be redeployed on Friday for a security clampdown, sources said. Also small and big processions were taken out from different Srinagar localities.
A 4,000 strong procession heading towards the residence of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani at Hyderpora here was confronted by security forces, which fired teargas canisters and pellet guns and also exploded stun grenades to disperse it. Five protesters were admitted to City’s SHMS hospital with pellet-gun injuries. The participants of the procession had come mainly from neighbouring Narakara, Galwanpora, Gurteng Gulshan and other areas to listen to the octogenarian leader, who is under house arrest but occasionally comes near a first floor window to speak to people gathering outside. A similar procession was taken out in Shopian town, also in south Kashmir.
A statement issued by the police here in the evening said that the situation throughout the Valley remained peaceful and under control. “There was no report of any untoward incident from anywhere and except in Anantnag town no restrictions were in force anywhere in the Valley. Minor instances of stone pelting were reported from some places,” a statement said.
