Three persons including a woman were killed on Saturday as police opened fire to disperse mobs who blocked a national highway and snatched weapons from security personnel in Pampore on the city outskirts even as protest—hit Kashmir Valley remained under curfew for the second day.
The situation in saffron—rich area of Pampore turned ugly when agitators blocked NH—1A at a number of places by erecting barricades from Pantha Chowk to Pampore, a police spokesman said.
The mobs blocked the highway at Galandar, Kadlabal, Barsoo, Frastabal and Pampore and also torched office—cum— residence of a tehsildar. They set afire a police vehicle and damaged several others.
The protesters snatched weapons from local court guards and also indulged in heavy stone pelting on a police station and security personnel, the spokesman said, adding the situation turned worse when suspected terrorists fired on the personnel from amongst them.
After a baton charge and tear gas shelling failed to disperse the mobs, police opened fire to quell them. While Nayeem Ahmad Shah died on the spot, two others sustained injuries.
A number of policemen including a Deputy Superintendent of Police of Awantiopora suffered injuries.
Another person Raees also succumed to his injuries later in the hospital.
In Khrew, protesters attempted to set afire a police post and take away the weapons. As the crowd refused to calm down, police fired at them leading to the death of a woman identified as Afrosa.
There were minor protests in some parts of the Valley but the situation in north Kashmir, which was on boil yesterday, remained calm and as well as in downtown Srinagar.
With the three deaths, the number of people killed in violence since Friday has risen to nine.
Barring Handwara, Baramulla town, Budgam, Awanitipora and Ganderbal, curfew remained in force in rest of the Valley.
Meanwhile, the main Opposition Peoples Democratic Party termed the situation in Kashmir valley as “grim“.
“The situation in Kashmir is grim. There has been huge loss of life and property because of the inability of the government to respond,” a PDP spokesman said after a meeting of party legislators here.
All legislatures and party leaders, including PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and senior leader Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, were present at the meeting which was presided by party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Asked about the meeting, the spokesman said, “all the options were discussed.” He did not elaborate.
PDP on Friday decided to convene the meeting to discuss what it called an “unprecedented crisis” in the Valley.
