Welcome To MyKashmir, Kashmir's Own Informational PORTAL

No let up in protests : VARMUL TO MAISUMA ON BOIL; 60 HURT IN CLASHES : Srinagar, Feb 27: For the sixth consecutive day, violent protests rocked the city and various parts of the Valley over the killing of two persons in unprovoked firing by Army in Sopur last weekend and murder of a youth by unidentified persons on Tuesday.
At least 60 persons including 13 policemen and three troopers of paramilitary CRPF were injured in the day-long clashes. In the wake of protest call after Friday prayers by the chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani over Sopur killings, authorities had made heavy deployment of troops across the Valley. Police and troopers had sealed various roads of the city by placing iron grills, barbed wires and wooden poles.
The killing of the two youth, Muhammad Amin Tantray and Javid Ahmad Dar on Saturday has evoked massive demonstrations across the Valley since Saturday. Authorities had clamped undeclared curfew in the Valley on Wednesday to prevent the pro-freedom leaders and people from moving to Sopur.
Violent protests against the killings rocked many parts of the city including Batamaloo, Old Barzulla, Nawa Kadal, Natipora, Gojwara and several downtown localities. Shouting pro-freedom and anti-India slogans, the protesters were demanding action against the accused troopers. “Six days have passed and the accused troopers are roaming scot-free. Despite witnesses and strong evidence, no action has been taken against the troopers,” they said.
Protests against the murder of a youth continued for the fourth consecutive day today. Hundreds of people defied restrictions at Maisuma and attacked the troopers and police with stones. Police swung into action and fired several tear smoke shells. In the meantime a large group of youth who gathered at Maisuma after attending a Chahrum congregation at the slain youth’s grave at Malteng also clashed with police. They offered stiff resistance and engaged the troopers in pitched battles which continued till late evening. Reports said atl east 30 persons were injured in the clashes.
The residents of Sunarkul and Shah Mohalla Nawab Bazar alleged that the troopers barged into their houses after they staged peaceful protests against the killings. “The troopers went on rampage and smashed our windowpanes and thrashed many youth. We called Mayor Salman Sagar and asked him to come to our rescue,” said a woman. When contacted, Sagar said he had taken up the matter with police.
Incidentally, Nowhatta which has been witnessing massive pro-freedom protests for past over six months, was peaceful today under a harsh curfew. Troops had occupied almost every lane and bylane of Nowhatta and its adjoining areas confining people to their houses. “Situation was normal at Nowhatta. Only some isolated stone pelting incidents were reports in some areas of old city,” said SP North, Abdul Waheed Shah.
However, reports said the troopers came under heavy stone pelting when they started to move to their camps from Nowhatta in the evening. “We were not allowed to move out of our house. If some youth from other localities resort to stone pelting why are we being punished,” said a resident of Nowhatta.
The Senior Superintendent of Police Srinagar, Syed Afadul Mujtaba acknowledged that heavy deployment was made at Maisuma, Nowhatta and other parts of the city “to prevent violence.” “We only imposed strict restrictions across the city to maintain law and order. The stone-pelters besides attacking the police and troopers, target public and government property. So we prevented assembly of large groups of people on the roads. People have to cooperate with us to make this society a better place to live in,” the SSP said.
A Hurriyat Conference (M) spokesman accused the police of not allowing Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid and other mosques of the Valley today. Pertinently, the Ulemas had issued a fatwa against the Government for not allowing Friday prayers for seven consecutive Fridays during the Assembly elections last year.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police Central, Muneer Ahmad Khan, strongly refuted the allegations saying the restrictions were eased during the Friday prayers. “While maintaining law and order, we ensured that people don’t face any problem to offer the congregational prayers. In fact we eased the restrictions around Jamia Masjid, Hazaratbal and other mosques and people offered prayers. But it has been observed that for past a few months, people have gradually stopped to offer prayers at Jamia Masjid due to frequent stone pelting. Now separatists are trying to blame police,” Khan said.
Pro-freedom protests were held after the Friday prayers in various parts of the Valley.
At least eight persons were wounded in violent clashes in Old Varmul town. GK reporter Altaf Baba reported that police fired rubber bullets and tear smoke shells to disperse a massive procession at Old Varmul bridge.
GK REPORTER GHULAM MUHAMMAD reported that police had to use force to disperse a pro-freedom and anti-Army procession at Sopur. Soon after the Friday prayers, the protesters took out a procession from Jamia Masjid Sopur to Main Chowk. However police fired several tear smoke shells forcing the protesters to disperse. Reports said at least 20 people were wounded in the clashes.
GK REPORTER, MALIK ABDUS SALAM, said police had blocked all the roads leading to Islamabad district. The troops were deployed in strength across the district.
PRO-FREEDOM ACTIVISTS UNDER HOUSE ARREST
Senior pro-freedom leaders were put under house arrest on Friday to prevent them from participating in protests against Bamai killings.
In a statement, a Hurriyat spokesman said the chairperson of Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and senior leaders including Maulana Abbas Ansari, Javid Ahmad Mir, Bilal Gani Lone, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza, Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi, Abdul Manan Bukhari and media advisor Muhammad Saleem Geelani were under arrest. The acting chairperson of Hurriyat Conference (G) Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai who was to address a protest rally at Sopur, was also put under house arrest.

Top

Restrictions irk, inconvenience people : FCIK, KTMF Smell Design To Disrupt Life, Destroy Economy : Srinagar, Feb 27: People have accused the administration of imposing unnecessary restrictions on their movement and triggering a complete shutdown in the capital city and elsewhere across the valley. Though the separatists had called for peaceful protests after Friday prayers, the heavy deployment of particularly the paramilitary troopers all over since the wee hours today forced the people to stay put at their homes.
Residents said the Central Reserve Police Force personnel and police did not permit them to move out of their areas in the morning, which ultimately triggered a full day strike not only in the city but in several towns. “We tried to move toward Lal Chowk in the morning, but the CRPF troopers asked us to go back as curfew has been clamped. We fail to understand why restrictions were imposed if the Hurriyat (G) had made it abundantly clear that there would not be any hartal or march to any place,” said Muhammad Amin and Mushtaq Ahmad, residents of Soura, adding the restrictions forced the people in general and transporters in particular to stay indoors.
While the public transport services were off, commuters, government employees, traders, patients and students had to bear the brunt. “I left home to file my entrance examination form at the Kashmir University, but policemen told me there is hartal and an undeclared curfew,” said Sumaria Ahmad, a resident of Dalgate.
Witnesses said police and CRPF had put restrictions in several downtown areas. “Near Firdous cinema at Hawal, the CRPF personnel told us that there is stone pelting in Nowhatta. But after sometime, we came to know that they were lying,” said Mubeen Ahmad, who runs a shop at Nowhatta.
Voicing grave concern over what they termed as “a deep rooted conspiracy to disrupt normal life and destroy the valley’s economy, the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation, said the “government agencies” were harassing traders in the name of security. “The government imposes restrictions in the morning, making it impossible for shopkeepers to leave their homes for their day’s work. Such restrictions are just meant to harass the traders and give an impression to the outside world that situation is not conducive in the Valley,” said the KTMF president, Jan Muhammad Koul. “Had there been no restrictions, we could have done our business through the day as there was no hartal call. The government is itself responsible for the entire mess,” he said.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, the president of Federation Chamber of Industries, Kashmir, Shakeel Qalandar, said the curfews and strikes cost the trade and industry a whopping Rs 150 crore a day. “This is the loss to the state’s economy. Nobody from state or central government has shared our loss so far. It is borne by entrepreneurs themselves,” he said.
Confirming the imposition of restrictions, the divisional commissioner, Masud Samoon, said, “The restrictions were imposed to save public life and property because we have seen that protests don’t remain peaceful.”
The deputy inspector general of police, Central Kashmir, Muneer Khan, denied the hartal was to be peaceful. “In one of the newspapers, a leader had appealed to youth to indulge in protests in whatsoever manner. What does that mean? So some restriction was put in place in downtown areas,” he told Greater Kashmir.
He said police had to curtail people’s movement in Maisuma and Gawkadal. “We have seen these people forcing closure of shops and traffic for the past four days. So as a precaution, restrictions were imposed. But we didn’t stop anyone from leaving home or opening his shop,” Khan said, adding people themselves stayed back. “In many areas traffic was plying normally and shops were open.”

Top

POLICE ON PROWL : Arrests 7 from Barzulla : Srinagar, Feb 27: Youth in Old Barzulla Srinagar are fleeing from the area following arrests by police, the resident said.
They said police have arrested seven boys from the area and have subjected them to severe beating.
The residents said police should immediately release all arrested boys. They accused police of creating harassment in the area.
“Our boys have every right to dignified life. Police has no right to pick up innocent boys and create tension in the area,” said a senior resident.
He said that police should release all the boys and refrain from arresting more.
He said the police action has created sense of insecurity among residents especially the young boys.
Citing example, they said a 12 year old Aamir Ayoub was arrested and was given severe thrashing.
However, the SHO Sadder said seven boys have been arrested for pelting stones and FIRs have been registered against them. He said they have been pelting stones on the IG road and have broken windowpanes of many vehicles. He said seven policemen including the SHO were injured due to the stone pelting. He said police would not allow stone pelting and destruction of public and private property.

Top

People prevented from offering Friday prayers: Mirwaiz: Srinagar, Feb 27: The Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq today alleged that lakhs of Muslims were stopped from offering Friday prayers at various majids including Central Jamia Masjid here today due to imposition of undeclared curfew in Valley.
Mirwaiz, who is under house arrest since Thursday night, has termed the imposition of curfew and barring people from offering Friday prayers a sheer interference in their religious affairs.
Mirwaiz, according to Hurriyat statement, has alleged the police and other armed forces had let loose a reign of terror in the whole Valley by barging into the houses of people and harassing the inmates. “This has caused a deep sense of insecurity among the people,” he said.
The Hurriyat chairman said such ‘repressive acts’ by the police and troops could not shake the morale, courage and determination of its pro-movement people. “They will continue their struggle for their right of self-determination,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hurriyat has strongly condemned the house arrest of prominent pro-movement leaders including Bilal Gani Lone, Fazal-ul-Haq Qureshi, Aga Syed Al-Moosvi Al-Sufvi, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza, Syed Salim Geelani and Javid Ahmad Mir.
Hurriyat, according to its statement, said despite ‘restrictions’ its leaders Shabir Ahmad Dar and Zaffar Akbar Bhat addressed Friday prayer meetings at Jamia Masjid, Sopur, and Bagh-e-Mehtab, respectively.

Top

NEWS / Articles are reproductions of Local News Papers (Greater Kashmir & Others) So the legal rights are with there respective Writers / Publishers

Search MyKashmir Only