Srinagar, Aug 26: Amid a curfew in the summer capital and several other towns across the Valley on Thursday, protests continued against the civilian killings and the crackdown on the youth. The present unrest today completed 77 days of almost continuous shutdown across the valley during which police and para-military CRPF have killed 64 civilians.
Several persons were injured, one of them critically, in police action against protesters at Soura and Barzulla during the day.
In uptown Barzulla, protests continued for the second day running today. The protesters, mainly young boys, demanded the release of Owais Ahmad and Muhammad Younis, brothers, of old Barzulla who were picked up by police during a crackdown on Wednesday.
Police baton charged protesters, fired tear smoke ammunition and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters.
One youth was hit by a rubber bullet and shifted to SMHS hospital. Doctors identified him as Nayeem Ahmad Paul son of Muhammad Shafi Paul of Old Barzulla and said he was hit in the face.

The protests continued till late evening.
In Anchar, Soura, and its neighbourhood, protests continued against the death of teenager Omar Qayoum Bhat, who died yesterday after being tortured in police custody.
Defying curfew, people, young and old, poured onto streets and staged pro-freedom protests chanting slogans. They pelted police and CRPF with stones who attempted to chase them away. The forces responded by baton charging, tear gas and firing live ammunition in air.
Two persons were injured in the intermittent day-long clashes between the protesters and forces. They were identified as Irfan Bhat of Soura and Zahoor Ahmed of Kupwara. The duo was hospitalised.
In downtown Rainawari, protests broke out at Naidyar after a youth was picked up by a joint party of police and CRPF.
After the incident, people came out on roads in large numbers and staged protests demanding his release. The forces baton charged protesters and lobbed tear smoke canisters to disperse them.
The locals said the forces while chasing away protesters damaged private properties and smashed the window panes of residential houses in Dalkawpora, Naidyar and Chowdhary Bagh localities.
Protests broke out at Umarabad, Zainakote, Natipora, Rambagh and Wanbal localities of the city.
Elsewhere in the city, curfew remained imposed in the areas falling under the jurisdiction of police stations Batamloo, Bemina, Qamarwari, Kralkhud, Nowhatta, Khanyar, Maharajgunj, Safakadal, Maisuma, Shaheedgunj and Abi-guzar area of Kothibagh on the orders of district administration.
A youth identified as Kaisar Ahmad Dar was arrested by Station House Officer (SHO) Parimpora when people were holding a peaceful pro-freedom demonstration.
Reports of protests and clashes were also received from Varmul and Handwara of North Kashmir.
Groups of youth this morning took to streets in Arampora, Model Town, Hathi Shah and other localities of Sopur town and staged pro-freedom and anti-India demonstrations. Shouting slogans in favor of Azadi, the people tried to march on the streets of the town. However, CRPF and police fired teargas shells in a bid to disperse the protesters. The protesters retaliated by hurling stones and rocks on the forces. The clashes continued for some time. However, no reports of any injury have been received.
At Palhalan, Pattan, a youth suffered minor injuries when CRPF and police cane charged a group of people who were staging pro-freedom demonstration this afternoon.
Peaceful pro-freedom demonstrations were also staged in Langate, Kralgund, Kralpora, Trehgam and other areas of the Kupwara district.
In South Kashmir’s Shopian district, at least six people were injured when clashes broke out between forces and protesters.
Reports said that hundreds of people took to streets at Main chowk, Bonbazar, Tak Masjid and other areas this afternoon and staged pro-freedom and anti-India demonstrations. Chanting pro-freedom and anti-India slogans, the people were protesting the unabated human rights violations by forces, particularly the civilian killings.
When the protesters tried to take out a march through DC office road, CRPF and police burst tear smoke shells and opened fire from pallet guns to disperse the protesters. In retaliation, angry protesters hurled stones on the forces. The clashes soon spread to several areas of the town. At least six people, eyewitnesses said, were injured in the daylong clashes.
Reports of protests and clashes were also reported from Laizbal, Sarnal, KP road, Mattan chowk and other areas of Islamabad town.
At Bijbehara, police used force to quell a pro-freedom demonstration. However, no injuries were reported in the incident.
Protests and clashes were reported from twin districts of Pulwama and Kulgam districts of South Kashmir.
Late in the evening youth took to streets in many areas of old Islamabad town including Cheeni Chowk, Malakhnag, Cheeni Chowk and Reeshi Bazar and clashed with police and CRPF. The forces resorted to tear gas shelling injuring three persons.

SITUATION PEACEFUL, SAYS POLICE:
In a statement issued here this evening, a police spokesman said that the situation across the valley was largely peaceful barring few incident of stone pelting.
In Soura and old Barzulla, the spokesman said, police resorted to cane charge and fired tear gas shells to disperse stone pelting mobs resulting in injuries to three people. All the injured, the spokesman said, were stable.
The spokesman said that police also resorted to baton charge to disperse a mob of stone pelters at Naina area of Sangam in Islamabad district.
“Miscreants also pelted stones on Police Station Sopur this afternoon. The mob was chased out by the police,” the spokesman said.

NO CURFEW TODAY:
According to an order of District Magistrate, Srinagar, curfew imposed in several areas of the city on August 25 has been lifted. Accordingly, no curfew will remain imposed on August 27 in any part of the district.
(with PBI inputs)

Lastupdate on : Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST