After a day of relative lull, violent protests erupted in Kashmir again on Friday when people defied curfew in various districts and attacked police stations and security personnel, leaving two civilians and a policeman dead.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Kulgam, Mohammad Irshad, said a police station in Kulgam’s Yaripora was attacked.
Crowds first threw stones at the policemen and this was followed by a militant attack when a grenade was hurled and shots fired. One policeman died in the attack, an official said. In the evening, one youth was killed and three injured when security forces opened fire on protesters. A policeman’s car was set ablaze in the city’s outskirts.
In north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, security forces fired at a protesting crowd when people defied curfew and marched towards a police station. One youth was killed and four were injured in the firing, taking the death toll to 38 in the past one week, according to hospital sources.
Pellet injuries again
More than a dozen protesters sustained bullet and pellet injuries as clashes rocked parts of Baramulla district’s Sopore, Pattan and Delina areas. The severely injured were shifted to Srinagar.
Besides south Kashmir, protests broke out in various areas of Srinagar district too, where huge deployments were made to contain the situation after Friday prayers. No prayers were allowed in mosques situated on the roadside.
Meanwhile, congregational prayers were organised for slain Hizbul commander Burhan Wani in his hometown Tral.
NC delegation meets Governor
Governor N.N Vohra on Friday asked the Opposition National Conference (NC) to “play a positive role” in the present crisis, while the Congress accused the State and the Centre for the spike in civilian casualties in the Kashmir Valley.
Led by NC senior leader Ali Muhammad Sagar, a delegation met Mr. Vohra at the Raj Bhavan and sought his intervention and raised concern over the pellet injuries suffered by the youths.
The delegation claimed that people were facing problems due to the non-availability of essential commodities owing to curfew. The Governor urged the NC leaders “to play a positive role in the peaceful resolution of all outstanding problems”, a spokesman said.
The Congress blamed the Central and State governments for the loss of precious lives in the Valley. “ Civilian casualties could have been prevented had the forces showed restraint” alleged JKPCC chief G.A. Mir.
