One person was killed and another injured in the Palhalan area of north Kashmir on Monday when police and CRPF personnel opened fire on a group of protesters demanding that the mortal remains of Afzal Guru, hanged in the Parliament attack case, be returned to the Valley.
Guru was hanged on February 9, 2013 and his death anniversary on Monday was marked with a total shutdown across the Kashmir Valley.
“In a law and order situation in Palhalan village this [Monday] evening, one person sustained injuries in a firing incident while one person, Farooq Ahmad Bhat, was killed,” Inspector-General of Police Abdul Gani Mir told The Hindu . “We have registered an FIR…”
Police officers said restrictions would be imposed in several areas in the Valley on Tuesday.
While a complete shutdown of businesses, government offices and public transport was observed all across the Valley on Monday, several stone-throwing incidents were reported despite heavy deployment of the CRPF and the police. The authorities had imposed restrictions in many areas of Srinagar’s old city and also barricaded the streets and put up checkpoints at several areas in the Valley.
“We decided to impose restrictions in old Srinagar areas on Monday,” Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Lone said. “The step was taken to foil any attempt at disruption of peace.”
The call for Monday’s shutdown was given by separatist groups, including the Hurriyat factions, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and several others.
The police, on Sunday night, arrested scores of activists, including JKLF chairman Yasin Malik, who had called a peaceful march to the UNMOGIP office in Srinagar. The top leadership of the Hurriyat factions was also put under house arrest.
Guru’s trial is largely seen as unfair in the Kashmir valley. “His trial was a farce,” said Yasir Rather, a protester who is a student at Kashmir University.
Guru was hanged without a last meeting with his family and was buried inside the premises of the Tihar jail in Delhi.
Despite repeated requests by his family, the central government has refused to return his remains.
