One person was killed and five were injured when the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) opened fire at protesters in Bijbehara town of Anantnag district of Jammu on Friday.
As the news of the killing spread, people came out in large numbers and resorted to stone-pelting. They also tried to attack some government buildings. A police spokesman said the mob attacked the Bijbehara police station.
“The police used tear smoke shells and resorted to cane charge to disperse the mob. The mob did not relent. The miscreants tried to set the police station and the SDPO office on fire by throwing petrol bombs. The policemen had to fire some rubber pellets in self-defence. Two persons sustained injuries, one of whom died. Some policemen were also injured,” he said.
Earlier in the morning, 19-year-old Mudasir Ahmed Hajam died of the injuries he sustained in a police firing at Sopore on Thursday evening. Though curfew was lifted in Srinagar and other towns, it remained in force in north Kashmir's Baramulla, Sopore, Kupwara and Handwara towns after the teenager's death in Sopore.
The Friday's deaths have taken the death toll of civilians to 62 in police and paramilitary action on protesters since June 11.
A CRPF spokesman said that when a CRPF contingent was retreating on Thursday evening; stone-pelting youth attacked it. Company commander S.K. Das was hit on the neck with a broken bottle. “He restrained all his jawans and didn't allow anyone to open fire. He, however, fired two pellet shots in the air through his shot gun to keep the stone-pelters at bay,” he said. “In the morning, we heard one youth Mudasir Ahmed has died.”
However, the locals said the firing was unprovoked.
On Thursday, eight-year-old Milad, who was wounded after being hit by a bullet fired by the CRPF on August 14, died of his injuries in hospital.
Withdraws from shrine
Following protests on Thursday in which 15 people were injured, the authorities on Friday decided to remove a CRPF bunker as also the police guard from Jenab Saheb Shrine in Soura.
In Hazratbal shrine too, the guard was replaced following locals' outcry.
Meanwhile, protesters clashed with the police at several places on Friday. A police spokesman said 20 policemen were injured.
