Islamabad/Srinagar, Aug 19: An eight-year-old boy, who was shot by CRPF in Laizbal area of South Kashmir’s Islamabad town on Saturday, succumbed to his injuries Thursday morning. With the death of the minor, the number of civilians killed by police and paramilitary CRPF personnel during past 70 days of continued unrest in the valley has reached 60.
The boy, namely Milad Ahmad Dar son of Muhammad Amin Dar of Wanpora, Khudwani in Kulgam district was injured on Saturday evening when he was hit by a bullet fired by paramilitary forces. One person namely Irshad Ahmad Latoo was killed on the spot while four others had been injured in that firing incident.
Milad was referred to SKIMS where he succumbed after 6 days at around 4:00 A.M today.
As the news of the boy’s death spread in Islamabad and Kulgam, tension again gripped the area even as curfew was strictly enforced in Islamabad town for the seventh straight day. Kulgam and Qaimoh towns in Kulgam district were also put under strict curfew.
As the body of the deceased boy reached his native village in Wanpora, thousands of people from Khudwani, Redwani, Qaimoh and Wanpoh defied the restrictions and staged massive pro-freedom demonstrations.
The protesters then marched towards Wanpora village and carried the body amid pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. Thousands of people then participated in the Nimazah-Jinazah of the deceased and the body was laid to rest in the local graveyard. The protest demonstrations continued throughout the day and later spread to the neighboring villages of Islamabad including Harnag, Muniward, Malipoor, Pushwaru and Batpora. Police and CRPF men resorted to baton charge and tear gas shelling to disperse the protesters.
Late in the evening when the deployment was reduced in Islamabad town people took to streets in old town and civil line area of K.P road and staged massive pro-freedom demonstrations. Police and CRPF fired several rounds in air and resorted to intense tear gas shelling at Khanabal, Naibasti, Laizbal, Gulshanabad, Malakhnag, Cheeni Chowk, Reeshi Bazar, Dangerpora, Mattan Chowk and Lal Chowk.
Several people sustained injuries in the police and CRPF action. Earlier, the CRPF men barged into several houses in the town, ransacked the household goods, smashed the window panes, parked vehicles and also beat up the inmates including women and children.
In Bijbehara town several people including policemen were injured in the day-long clashes between the protesters and the forces. Reports said that youth took to streets in various areas of the town like highway, Goriwan and Sadarbazar and pelted stones on police and paramilitary CRPF men who retaliated by intense tear gas shelling and baton charge. Several people sustained injuries in the police action and the condition of one Showkat Ahmad, who is admitted in hospital, is stated to be critical.
At least a dozen police and CRPF men were also injured in these fierce clashes.
Massive pro-freedom demonstrations also rocked Shopian town while people offered prayers on the roads. However, youth entered into clashes with police and CRPF men by pelting stones and bricks. The forces retaliated by tear gas shelling and firing rubber bullets.
Several protesters were injured when police and CRPF men fired tear gas canisters on a peaceful procession in Zainpora area of Shopian.
A youth Ubaid Ahmad Mir received a rubber bullet and was admitted in district hospital, Shopian.
In Pulwama and Kakpora strict restrictions were put in place, however, protest demonstrations erupted in many adjoining villages. In Tral, where curfew was lifted after two days, massive pro-freedom demonstrations were witnessed amid severe restrictions. Pro-freedom demonstrations also rocked Pampore town and the adjoining areas of Samboora, Khrew and Zewan.

SRINAGAR:
At least a dozen persons, including a teenage girl and a woman, were wounded in two separate incidents when police and paramilitary CRPF troopers opened fire on protesters at Anchar, Soura, and in uptown Barzulla.
Witnesses said scores of people, including children and women, took to the streets near Jenab Sahab Shrine, Soura this afternoon and staged a peaceful pro-freedom demonstration.
The forces cane charged and later lobbed teargas ammunition and opened fire while chasing them away. In the police action at least 10 persons were injured.
Four of them were from one family and three had bullet injuries. They were shifted to SKIMS where doctors identified them as Habibullah Tiplo (bullet injury in shoulder), Fatima Begum (bullet in leg) and 19-year-old, Sumaira, who had a bullet injury in her chest.
Doctors said she was in a critical state and was on a ventilator in ICU.
Two youth—Meraj-ud-din and Muhammad Shafi both residents of Anchar—were beaten by the CRPF men after the protests.
The incident brought more people onto streets who yelled pro-freedom and anti-India slogans and pelted police and CRPF men with stones.
In the evening, ahead of Iftaar (breaking of day’s fast), witnesses said a CRPF party opened fire on a group of youth who were sitting along the banks of a rivulet.
“There weren’t any protests or stone-pelting. It was all peaceful. But as soon as they left the area after day’s duty they opened fire on civilians,” eyewitnesses said.
Two persons sustained injuries and they were identified as Yasir Ahmad, 22, and Abdul Rahman, 40.
Elsewhere in the city, a curfew remained clamped as police and CRPF men, deployed in large numbers, restricted people to their homes.
The downtown of the city was sealed by erecting barricades, and laying loops of razor wire at a number of places.
Protests also broke out in several other localities of the city including Rainawari, Habba Kadal, Dalgate and Brein, Nishat.
People staged demos and raised pro-freedom and anti-India slogans.
However, police and CRPF swung into action and prevented protests from spreading.

NORTH KASHMIR:
Four persons were wounded when RAF personnel fired rubber bullets on protesters at Seelo Sopur Thursday afternoon.
Eyewitnesses told Greater Kashmir that Rapid Action Force personnel resorted to indiscriminate on protesters at Seelo, Sopur. Four persons- Farooq Ahmed Shagoo, Tanveer Ahmed Bhat, Tanveer Parrey and Nadeem Nazir -were hit by rubber bullets.
The condition of Farooq Ahmed Shagoo who has been referred to SKIMS Srinagar is stated to be critical.
At Sangrama near Sopur, the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus also known as Carvan-e-Aman, were attacked by youth who were staging protests on the highway.
The buses were returning to Srinagar from Uri. Police said the windowpanes of the bus were damaged.
Six persons were wounded when paramilitary Central Reserve of Police Force and police fired teargas canisters to disperse nocturnal protests on Wednesday night in Pattan town.
Protests broke out in area after police held two youth for participating in demonstrations.
Hundreds of people including children and women took to streets late night demanding the release of youth .The police however swung into action and resorted to teargas shelling to disperse the protesters resulting in injuries to six persons.
Strict curfew continues to be imposed in Trehgam Kupwara and locals also complained shortage of essentials in the area.
“We have been caged in our houses and troopers are not allowing us to venture out to purchase essentials for past five days,” locals said.
Residents said they were not allowed to offer prayers in the Jamia Masjid for the past week.
Curfew was imposed in the township on August 13 when an 11-year old student, Mudasir Ahmad Zargar, was killed by CRPF when it resorted to firing on a procession.
Meanwhile, 12-year old Adil Manzoor Bhat, the nephew of Shaheed Maqbool Bhat, is in police custody for the last four days.
Police claimed that Adil is wanted in a case of “stone-pelting” and is involved in many other cases.
Protests also erupted in Sangrama, Rafiabad and Sopur areas of north Kashmir today.
The old town Varmul remained under restrictions as police and CRPF blocked all the bridges linking old town with the civil line areas.
In the evening clashes broke out near Cement Bridge and Azadgunj Bridge. Police caned protesters and lobbed teargas shells to disperse them.
Nocturnal protests continue in Tangmag. People came on roads in the evening and raised pro-freedom slogans. Pro-freedom demonstration were also held in Kunzar, Gufabal, Katjan, Mulgam, Awlara, Devbugh, Khonchipora, Druroo, Shrai, Hariwatnoo and adjoining villages.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST