The Army on Sunday carried out a flag march in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir where about 170 people were injured in day-long clashes.
The Army on Sunday carried out a flag march in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir where about 170 people were injured in day-long clashes. Another 30-35 people sustained injuries in similar incidents elsewhere in the Valley, the police and hospital sources said.
Pulwama’s Karimabad area erupted at 6.30 am after the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles along with the J&K police and CRPF arrived in the area, reportedly to effect arrests.
Karimabad has, during the 64-day-old unrest in the Valley, witnessed a series of pro-freedom protests, rallies and clashes. At one such rally held on July 31 and which was attended by more than 50,000 people, LeT’s top-most commander Abu Dojana had also appeared to pay homage to militants slain in encounters with security forces and also to the youth killed during ongoing turbulence in the Valley. Karimabad is also the home place of several slain and active top Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including Burhan Muzaffar Wani’s trusted colleague Naseer Ahmed Pandit and Bilal Ahmed Bhat, Afaq Janbaz and Abdur Rashid Bhat.
While the security forces were moving in the village, locals made announcements through mosque loudspeakers asking people to come out of their homes to foil attempts at arre-sting local youth by them.
The security forces, witnesses said, retaliated by damaging stationary cars, motorbikes, the windowpanes of houses and whatever came their way. Within 15 minutes, almost the entire population of the area was out on the streets and was soon joined by residents from neighbouring villages, reports said.
Clashes followed and the security forces fired tear gas canisters and pellet shotguns to contain the situation.
As many as 115 people injured in clashes were admitted to the Pulwama district hospital and other medical facilities at neighbouring Rahmoo, Newa and Parigam and, of these, 17 seriously injured were later referred to Srinagar hospitals. Another 55 people, who received minor injuries, were treated at local private clinics, reports said. Many of the injured have fractured bones, hospital sources said.
During the clashes, the police arrested 19 people, including Babar Pandit — a brother of slain Naseer Pandit, police sources said adding that a special police officer posted in Srinagar was also arrested on charges of being part of violent protests.
However, the locals alleged that the policeman is being “victimised” because he had, while speaking to media, complained about the “atrocities” being perpetuated on the local population by the security forces, which include damaging cars and homes.
Pulwama’s SSP Rais Bhat denied the charge that security forces attacked private homes and other properties like cars and motorbikes. He said that the security forces had gone to Karimabad following receiving information about the presence of a few militants there and not to arrest local youth as was rumoured.
Protests and clashes were held also at Zamalgam-Dooru in neighbouring Anantnag district after the security forces allegedly attacked the venue of a pro-freedom rally in the area. The residents of Tukroo village of Shopian district where a youth had died after being hit in the head by a teargas shell on Saturday accused the security forces of looting valuables including jewellery and damaging gadgets during nocturnal raids at private homes.
Reports said that a pro-freedom bike-and-car rally was held in Kulgam district. It began from a place called Qaimoh and then passed through various areas including Khudwani, Redwani, Rampura, Gofbal, Frisal, Kujar and Yaripora. In Trehgam, the native village of Jammu Kashmir National Liberation Front (JKNLF) co-founder Muhammad Maqbool Butt, a pro-freedom rally planned in local Eidgah grounds was held at another place after the police laid siege to the venue early in the morning, reports said.
Clashes and stone-pelting incidents were reported also from Batengo area of Anantnag where a youth was killed in pellet-gun firing on Saturday. Police said that the mobs also pelted stones on passing vehicles and, in one such act, a motorist Parvaiz Ahmed Dar was seriously injured when hit by a stone in the head. “His vehicle was also damaged,” a statement issued by police here in the evening said.
Earlier during the day, yet another teenager succumbed at Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS). Identified as Javed Ahmed Dar, 16, had received a bullet injury during clashes at Narbal area of central district of Budgam on August 5. With this death, the toll in the current unrest has risen to 79. Two policemen have also died in the mob violence.
Meanwhile, curfew-like restrictions remained in forces in various areas of central Srinagar and Anantnag and some other towns on Sunday whereas normal life remained crippled elsewhere in the Valley due to the shutdown call by separatist groups. An alliance of key separatist leaders has extended the ‘protest calendar’ including shutdown programme till September 16.
Kashmir’s Divisional Commissioner, Baseer Khan, said there was no curfew in force anywhere in the Kashmir Valley on Sunday. “However, restrictions were imposed in few places in Srinagar as also in some towns in the Valley. The overall situation remained under control throughout the Valley,” he said. Police added that “stray stone-pelting incidents” were reported from Sopore, Pulwama and Budgam.
