ALTAF BABA/GHULAM MUHAMMAD

Sopur, July 30: Two persons were killed and over hundred injured, many of them grievously, in police firing as an intense wave of fresh protests erupted across the Kashmir Valley on Friday. Two of the dead are from North Kashmir’s Sopur town.
Witnesses said that after the Friday prayers, people coming out from a mosque near Amargarh, Sopur raised pro-freedom slogans were allegedly fired upon by the CRPF personnel indiscriminately. “They didn’t pelt any stones. It was all peaceful and CRPF opened fire on us directly,” witnesses said.
Half a dozen civilians sustained bullet injuries. Two of the injured were shifted to SMHS hospital here where the doctors declared them dead on arrival. They were identified as Muhammad Ahsan Ganai son of Abdul Aziz and Showkat Ahmad Wagay of Amargarh, Sopur.
The injured identified as Meraj-ud-din Bhat, Showkat Ahmad, Aqib Ahmad were later shifted to Srinagar while Farooq Ahmad Ganai, Muhammad Shafi Ganai and Abdul Hamid were admitted in Sopur hospital. Outside the SMHS hospital, a standoff between the people accompanying dead and police lasted for more than after an hour.
“They (police) don’t want us to carry the bodies back home. They want the bodies to be taken to PCR. They are killers, how can we allow killers to take these bodies,” shouted the angry youth, arguing with the ambulance driver.

ONE KILLED IN PATTAN
A 14-year old body was killed and 90 other injured including 35 with bullet injuries, in north Kashmir’s Pattan town in Varmul district on Friday, when police and paramilitary CRPF troopers fired upon the protesters.
Angry protesters torched the police station, Pattan and a police lorry in retaliation to the police firing.
Eyewitness told Greater Kashmir that hundreds of people raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans took to streets in Pattan town after Friday prayers.
“After minor incidents of stone-pelting, hundreds of cops and paramilitary CRPF troopers opened fire on the protesters wounding more than thirty,” they said.
They said hundreds of cops and paramilitary troopers came out of police station and fired upon the people again for fifteen minutes killing 14 –year- old Muhammed Rafiq Bhat and wounding scores others.
“The deceased was not part of protest and was shot dead near hospital road,” they added.
“The cops and CRPF men went berserk and barged inside the sub-district hospital Pattan and thrashed several wounded persons. They even didn’t spare medicos and aimed the gun on the chest of Dr Suhail who was treating the wounded persons,” they added.
“They also dragged out female staff and attendants. A nurse who came to the rescue of the patients was also beaten to pulp,” locals added.
Dr Suhail said that 15-20 persons have been referred to Srinagar. “10-12 are critically injured,” he added.
As the news about the death spread in the area, thousands of people from adjacent villages marched towards town. The massive demonstrations were continuing in the town, till late evening.

15 INJURED AT KREERI
 Fifteen persons were injured in Kreeri after the rumour broke out that a missing boy’s body was inside SOG camp near Kreei, Varmul.
 Protesters attacked the SOG camp of Police who fired teargas shells and gun shots resulting in injuries to atleast 15 civilians.
 The area remained tense throughout the day.
 Protests erupted in several areas of the old town Varmul including Cement Bridge, Transport Yard Bridge, Tehsil Road and Farooqi Point.
 Reports of post-prayer protests were received from Churu area on the Srinagar-Varmul highway.
 In Ganderbal district, protests broke out after prayers at Duderhama, Saloora, Kurhama areas.
 In Bandipora, protests broke out at Naidkhai, Sonawari. Police used force to quell the protests ensuing in clashes.
 Police arrested two Hurriyat (G) activists—Muhammad Ismael Jameel of Watpora, Bandipora, and Riyaz Ahmad Mir of Ward No 3, Bandipora earlier in the day.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:00:00 IST