Srinagar, Aug 21: Kashmir Valley witnessed another dose of curfew on Saturday even as protests broke out at a number of places against the killing of 62 civilians by police and CRPF troops during the past 72 days of continued unrest.
More than a million people of Srinagar were yet again caged after the authorities announced that the areas falling under the jurisdiction of one dozen police stations were put under an indefinite curfew. A strict curfew was also in place across South Kashmir.
Police and CRPF remained deployed heavily while the roads and streets were blocked by barricades and concertina wires at scores of places.
The downtown remained under uneasy calm during the day as people were restricted to their homes. However, protests rocked several uptown areas including Humhama, Natipora, Nowgam, Rambagh and Bemina where people came out on streets and staged pro-freedom protests.
At Humhama, scores of people yelling anti-India and pro-freedom slogans blocked the Airport Road and later attempted to take out a procession and march towards Hyderpora.
However, police and CRPF men foiled the procession by caning the protesters and lobbing tear smoke ammunition. The protesters retaliated by pelting forces with stones.
Low-intensity clashes were witnessed at Rambagh and Nowgam also.
In Bemina, protests broke out after police rounded up 42 persons, including young and elderly, for taking part in pro-freedom protests.
Locals said police detained the civilians during the raids at Nund Reshi Colony in the afternoon. Protesters, mostly women, blocked the by-pass road and stopped the army convoy, following which police resorted to baton charging and firing teargas canisters to disperse the protesters.
At Ompora Budgam, people took a protest procession against the civilian killings. Carrying flags, banners reading “stop the genocide of Kashmir youth” and shouting pro-freedom slogans, the protesters marched in the town and later dispersed peacefully.
At Sheikhpora, protesters pelted stones on police injuring two of them.
Later in the evening, when the deployment of police and CRPF was withdrawn, protests broke out in several places in the downtown including Habba Kadal, Fateh Kadal and other neighbouring localities.

KHALID GUL ADDS FROM SOUTH KASHMIR:
After a day’s breather, curfew was once again clamped in this South Kashmir town while in the neighbouring Bijbehara township curfew was imposed following Fridays violent clashes that erupted after a youth was killed and three others injured in police and CRPF firing.
In Islamabad, huge contingents of police and CRPF men were deployed in every nook and corner of the old town and the civil line areas of K.P road, forcing the people to stay indoors.
In the evening when the deployment was being withdrawn youth came out on streets and clashed with police and CRPF in Khanabal, Naibasti, Lal Chowk, Cheeni Chowk, Reeshi Bazar, Malakhnag and Laizbal. The forces retaliated by lobbing tear gas canisters and firing several rounds in the air.
One youth, identified as Musaib Ahmad Khan son of Ashiq Hussian Khan of Chini Chowk was injured after he was hit by a rubber bullet in his shoulder.
In Bijbehara town curfew was strictly enforced following Friday’s firing on protesters in which a youth was killed. “The CRPF men barged into several houses in Persha Mohalla, beat up the inmates, smashed the window panes and ransacked the house hold goods,” alleged the residents.
Clashes between the youth and the forces erupted late in the evening when the deployment was reduced. Police and CRPF lobber tear gas shells and fired several rounds in air to disperse the protesters who were offering stiff resistance.
Restrictions were imposed in the neighboring Mattan town also.
In Dooru, protests erupted after police detained several youth in the area. In Qaimoh and Khudwani areas of Kulgam district curfew was strictly enforced while in Kulgam town only restrictions were put in place.
Restrictions also prevailed in Pulwama, Kakpora, Tral, Awantipora, Pampore and Shopian towns also. In Shopian town, however, despite severe restrictions youth came out on the streets and pelted stones on the police and CRPF men who retaliated by firing tear gas canisters.

NORTH KASHMIR:
In Tangmarg, scores of youth took a procession at Kunzer on Srinagar-Gulmarg road. The protesters raised pro-freedom slogans and protested the highhandedness of police and army during protests on Friday.
Later, announcements were made over the microphones of Masjids asking protesters that they should disperse and go home as curfew was imposed in the area.
In Chichiloora village people took out a protest procession late in the evening against the atrocities against them.
In apple town Sopur, scores of youth staged demonstrations in Chinkipora late in the evening. Troopers fired teargas canisters to disperse the protesters. However, they offered stiff resistance and fought bitched battles with forces by pelting them with stones.
The clashes were continuing till late night in the area.
Fierce clashes broke out in the evening in Trehgam town of Kupwara district in protest against killings. Police and CRPF troopers resorted to teargas shelling to disperse the protesters which were continuing till late evening.
Paramilitary CRPF troopers and police, locals said, beat up the residents during the two-hour relaxation in curfew during the day. Today’s relaxation came after nine days of continuous curfew after the killing of a teenager in the area.
During relaxation, young boys staged protests against the killings of unarmed protesters. A joint party of police and CRPF resorted to baton charging and fired tear-smoke canisters to disperse protesters as well as the shoppers who were buying essential commodities during the relaxation.
“Police and CRPF action was unprovoked,” locals said.
Meanwhile, a shutdown was observed in Bandipora, Ganderbal, Varmul and other towns across north Kashmir.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 21 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 22 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST