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  India   All India  30 Mar 2017  Kashmir valley shuts down to protest civilian killings

Kashmir valley shuts down to protest civilian killings

THE ASIAN AGE. | YUSUF JAMEEL
Published : Mar 30, 2017, 4:34 am IST
Updated : Mar 30, 2017, 6:12 am IST

Thousands of mourners attended multiple funerals of the slain youth in the central district of Budgam.

A Kashmiri villager shouts freedom slogans during the funeral of a local suspected rebel commander Tauseef Ahmed Wagay at Yaripora, Srinagar. (Photo: AP)
 A Kashmiri villager shouts freedom slogans during the funeral of a local suspected rebel commander Tauseef Ahmed Wagay at Yaripora, Srinagar. (Photo: AP)

Srinagar: Amid simmering anger fuelled by the killing of three local youth in security forces’ firing a day ago, a complete shutdown was observed in most parts of Kashmir valley on Wednesday.

Thousands of mourners attended multiple funerals of the slain youth in the central district of Budgam and took a pledge to “fight till the last man” for the cause of “freedom”.

Separately, a large crowd turned up at the funeral of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Tauseef Ahmed Wagay in Yaripora village of southern Kulgam district. The chants of “we want freedom” and “we’re with you, holy fighters” filled the air, said witnesses. Soon after the funeral, massive clashes erupted between protesters and the security forces, reports said.

Wagay was killed in a 10-hour-long gunbattle with security forces after he was trapped inside a house at Durbug in Budgam’s Chadoora area during a cordon-and-search operation on Monday night.

CRPF deputy inspector general Sanjay Kumar said that obstruction by locals made their operation against the holed-up militant even more difficult as they were forced to divert their attention from him. He said 43 CRPF personnel and 20 from Kashmir police were injured in stone-pelting.

The mainstream opposition parties and separatists, however, questioned his claim and accused the security forces of using disproportionate force against “unarmed protesters”.

On Wednesday, shops and other businesses and educational institutions remained closed across the Valley while traffic was off the roads.

Kashmir University, Islamic University of Science and Technology and Central University of Kashmir had postponed all examinations scheduled on Wednesday.

Tags: kashmir valley, lashkar-e-taiba, security forces, crpf
Location: India, Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar