Varmul/Srinagar, Aug 23: One more youth injured in CRPF firing succumbed on Monday taking the toll of those killed by police and CRPF during the ongoing unrest to 63. The summer capital and most of the towns and district headquarters continued to be locked down during the day.
Bilal Ahmad Sheikh, 22, son of Abdul Rahim Sheikh of Kripalgarh, Pattan, in north Kashmir succumbed to his injuries this morning at SK Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar. Bilal was injured at Singhpora, Pattan in the CRPF firing on August 14.
His family said that Bilal had received a bullet in his left thigh. “After being hit by a bullet, he fell on the ground and the CRPF troopers then beat him up with canes, gun butts and trampled him by jackboots,” they said.
His family said that he had multiple internal injuries and his liver was damaged.
As soon as his body reached his home, hundreds of people came out on roads chanting anti-India and pro-freedom slogans and staging demonstrations.
People from several villages joined his funeral prayers following which he was laid to rest at a local graveyard.
The protesters blocked Srinagar-Muzaffarabad highway. They also blocked an army convoy, the army men later fired several shots in air to disperse the protesters.
Meanwhile, curfew remained clamped in several parts of the valley including at Sopur and Trehgam in North Kashmir, Pulwama and Bijbehara. The summer capital, mostly downtown areas falling under more than half a dozen police stations continued to be under curfew.
Police and CRPF remained deployed in large numbers and manned barricades and razor wires laid to block roads.
Late in the evening, protests broke out in Soura which were dealt by police with force. Witnesses said police used pellet guns against protesters leaving seven of them injured. The injured, they said, were rushed to SKIMS for treatment.
In several areas including Humhama, Batamaloo and Hyderpora, people offered congregational prayers on roads during the day.
In uptown Hyderpora, people took out a demonstration raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. Protests also broke out at Wanabal, Nowgam, and Mahjoor Nagar localities of the uptown. People came out on streets and staged sit-in demos.
In Bandipora, police arrested Hurriyat (G) activist Ismail Jameel who had lead many pro-freedom protests in the recent days. Jameel was picked up by police from his Watapora residence early in the morning, his family said.
Police had arrested several youth in the past two weeks. But they were later released after people staged unrelenting protests demanding their release.
In Ganderbal, protests broke out in Duderhama, Fatehpora, Chuk Duderhama and Kujjar areas of the district.
The slogan-shouting protesters hurled stones on policemen who responded by baton charging. The ding-dong battles continued for several hours leaving nearly a dozen persons including a woman injured. Police also detained several youth after the protests.
Locals of Duderhama said that after protests subsided, police and CRPF parties ransacked houses smashing the window panes with batons and stones.
In Varmul town, police put restrictions on four bridges- Cement bridge, Khanpora bridge, Transport yard bridge and Azad Gunj bridge- connecting old town with the civil line areas.
The situation was relaxed in civil line areas with a thin civilian and pedestrian movement.
Complete shut down was observed in Tangmarg, Kunzer, Chandilora, Druroo and Dhobiwan. Army picked up two youth at Kunzer who were walking in the market and took them along. Later both the youth were released with the intervention of the locals. In Chichiloora village, the Seharkhan was beaten by army, locals alleged.

SOUTH KASHMIR:
Three persons were injured after being hit by rubber bullets in the South Kashmir town of Pulwama even as curfew was strictly enforced. Curfew also remained imposed in Bijbehara town.
Curfew was imposed in Pulwama town after violent clashes on Sunday. In Proonchu area of the district people took out to streets and tried to carry out pro-freedom procession. However, police and CRPF men deployed there resorted to tear gas shelling and fired rubber bullets injuring several persons.
Three of the injured persons had received rubber bullet injuries and were admitted in the district hospital Pulwama.
Reports of protest demonstrations were also received from other areas of the district including Kakpora, Samboora, Pampore, Awantipora and Tral. People also offered mid-day prayers in these areas on roads. Clashes also erupted in several areas of Shopian town also.
In Kulgam and Qaimoh townships despite severe restrictions protests and clashes were reported from several areas.
In Islamabad restrictions were imposed. However, youth took to streets in many old town areas like Malakhnag, Cheeni Chowk and Reeshi Bazar and in Khanabal area of K.P road and resorted to stone pelting. Police and CRPF men retaliated by firing tear gas canisters.
However, in Bijbehara town curfew remained imposed for the third straight day even as clashes erupted between the forces and the protesters late in the evening. In the evening when the restrictions were eased people marched towards the house of slain youth Nazir Ahmad Wani in Feroze Shah Mohalla killed in police and CRPF firing on Friday. Youth also pelted stones on police and CRPF men at various places triggering clashes.
Police said 28 police personnel, including Superintendent of Police, Pulwama, and three CRPF personnel were injured in stone pelting incidents in Prichoo, Muran Chowk, Rajpora Chowk, Tahab and at Pulwama station last night.
Several protesters were also injured.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST