Three people were killed and over 100 injured in fresh violence in many parts of the Kashmir Valley on Friday. Thousands of people remained on streets engaging the police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) till last reports came in.
Two people were killed as CRPF opened fire on protesters at Amargarh, near Sopore in north Kashmir.
After Friday prayers
Eyewitnesses told The Hindu over the phone that people were protesting after the Friday prayers against the disappearance of 17-year-old Farak Bashir of Kreeri, allegedly in police custody a few days ago. When they moved towards the railway line, security forces tried to stop them. When they moved ahead, the forces opened fire.
Informed sources said Mohmmad Ahsan Ganai and Showkat Ahmad Chopan died of bullet injuries while on way to hospital. This led to strong protests in the area and the police were battling mobs till late in the evening.
In the neighbouring Pattan, the police and the CRPF opened fire on protesters when they marched to the police station and set ablaze a building and a vehicle. At least 10 people received bullet injuries and one of them died in hospital.
Ten more people were injured in the clashes. The area was tense and the police were trying to impose curfew.
At least 20 people were injured in Kreeri, where people protested against the disappearance of Bashir. They attacked a local police camp and the CRPF resorted to tear-gas shelling. Some of the injured were stated to be critical.
Baramulla town also witnessed protests and at least 10 people were injured in clashes. Hundreds of people gheraoed a police post in Choora-Patukhah and tried to set it on fire, but the police retaliated and scores of people were injured.
Earlier in the morning, clashes broke out in the uptown locality of Chanpora, where a few hundred people took to the streets and clashed with the police and the CRPF.
To control the mob, the security forces opened fire and four youths received bullet injuries. Of them, one was stated to be battling for his life in the S.K. Institute of Medical Sciences.
In Tral town in south Kashmir, over 30 people were injured in clashes with the police and the situation was stated to be tense.
Curfew
Police imposed curfew in Srinagar downtown on Friday to foil the “Maisuma Chalo” call of the hard-line faction of the Hurriyat Conference. But the curfew was defied at many places.
The sources said the authorities were trying to re-impose curfew. However, District Magistrate, Srinagar, Meraj Kakroo, said that only Section 144 was being enforced.
No top official was available for comments on the situation. The sources said the government was perturbed over the deteriorating situation, which has left more people dead, threatening to further deepen the crisis.
