Protests amid Kashmir bandh
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Mir TariqSrinagar/Bandipora/Baramulla, Aug 06: The ‘civil curfew’ call given by Hurriyat Conference (G) Chairman, Syed Ali Geelani against the land row threw life out of gear in Kashmir on Wednesday.The protests against the continuous assaults on Muslims in Jammu spread to other parts of the Valley, with protestors clashing with police at several places.Geelani had called for shutdown against any bid to revert the revocation of forest land to the Amarnath shrine board.
The strike call evoked overwhelming response and life came to a grinding halt across the Valley. All shops and business establishments remained closed while traffic was off the roads. The government, semi-government offices and educational institutions remained locked and people preferred to stay indoors.The roads in city were presenting a deserted look. The deployment of paramilitary CRPF and police personnel in Srinagar was strengthened to prevent people from taking to roads.Clashes in cityPeople took to roads at Nowhatta, Zaldagar, Bemina, Zaldagar, Sonawar and Chotta Bazar areas on Wednesday afternoon to protest against the continued assaults on Muslims in the winter capital. Raising pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans, the protestors clashed with police and paramilitary personnel, who fired tear smoke canisters and resorted to heavy cane charge to disperse the agitating people. The protestors retaliated by hurling bricks and stones towards the policemen. The clashes between the protestors and policemen lasted for few hours during which 15 persons including some policemen were injured.Police official beaten by CRPF menEyewitnesses said that a police official was critically injured after he was ruthlessly beaten by paramilitary CRPF troopers in Fateh Kadal area in downtown Srinagar.They said that paramilitary personnel were mercilessly beating a youth with gun butts in Fateh Kadal area this afternoon. The police official tried to rescue the youth from the clutches of CRPF personnel. This infuriated the troopers to the extent that they pounced on the police official. They manhandled and beat him. He was let off only after other police men present in the spot intervened.The incident left the people shell-shocked and to express their solidarity with the police official, they raised anti-CRPF slogans.Confirming the incident, IGP Kashmir, Shiv Murari Sahai termed the manhandling and beating up of police official as an ‘accident’. “It was not an intended one,” he said.“There is nothing like a scuffle or beating of police official by the CRPF men. The stone pelting was going on in the area and a stone or something like that may have hit the sub-inspector and injured him,” he added.Protests reach SouthThe protests are spreading fast to other places in the Valley. In south Kashmir’s Pulwama and Islamabad districts, hundreds of people took to roads and staged massive protest demonstrations against the assaults on Muslims in Jammu.Angry protesters attacked a restaurant and a hotel in General Bus stand, Islamabad.Eyewitnesses said that hundreds of youth gathered in the Lal Chowk area in Islamabad Wednesday morning. Raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans, the protesting youth started pelting stones on the passing vehicles. The protesters marched towards the General Bus stand, where they attacked New Mughal Darbar restaurant and Hotel Wular. The protesters tried to set ablaze the restaurant and the hotel, but police intervened and resorted to cane charge and fired tear smoke canisters to disperse the agitating people.The protestors retaliated by hurling stones and bricks towards the policemen. In the clashes, a Santro car of the owner of hotel Wular was damaged.The protestors alleged that ‘New Mughal Darbar’ was involved in selling liquor. “Today when the entire market was closed, the hotel owner was busy in supplying liquor to customers. We acted as police takes no action against him,” they alleged.Meanwhile, in Qazigund people in hundreds came out on roads on Wednesday and staged pro-Geelani demonstrations. The protestors were raising anti-India and pro-freedom slogans. They demanded stern action against the Hindu elements, who were attacking Muslims and their properties in Jammu.North too affected A group of youth protesting against the killing of a teenage in police firing in Srinagar and assaults on Muslims in Jammu marched through Bandipora on Wednesday. Raising pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans, the protestors marched through the roads leading to the New Jamia Masjid area. The protestors pelted stones on the shops and vehicles, forcing closure of shops and stopping of vehicular movement. A shopkeeper Hafeez Ahmed Kuchay was beaten by up by the mobs. He was let off after the intervention of the elderly persons.The protestors alleged that government was not taking any strict action against the rightwing Hindu elements in Jammu. “The Hindu rioters are given a free hand to attack Muslims and their properties in Jammu while the peaceful protestors are being killed in Kashmir,” they said.Meanwhile, hundreds of people took to roads across the Sonawari (Hajin, Sumbal, Ajas) region of Bandipora. The protestors warned the government that if extremist forces were not reined in, the situation may take a dangerous turn. "If the government is not controlling rioters in Jammu then authorities should be ready to face consequences in Kashmir,” they added.They threatened that if Hindu elements in Jammu don’t lift highway blockade they will have no option but to cross the LoC. However, no untoward incident was reported from Bandipora during the strike and protest rallies.7 injured in BaramullaAt least seven persons including some policemen were injured in clashes between protesting youth and police on Wednesday in Baramulla town. People were protesting against the economic blockade and apprehensions of restoring land back to the controversial Amarnath shrine board. Raising pro-freedom and anti-government slogans, the angry mob pelted stones on the CRPF picket at RTC bridge Baramulla and tried to set it afire. The police and paramilitary personnel fired tear smoke canisters and resorted to heavy baton charge to disperse the agitating people, who retaliated by hurling stones and bricks. The dingdong clashes between police and protesters continued till evening, during which seven persons including some policemen were injured. Reports of stone pelting on vehicles were also reported from Main Chowk and general bus stand, Sopore Wednesday morning.Complete shutdown was witnessed in north Kashmir towns of Baramulla, Sopore, Handwara and Kupwara.