Srinagar, June 28: Hundreds of people took out a protest march from the old city here towards Sopur on Monday on the call of both factions of Hurriyat Conference even as protests erupted across the Valley as police and paramilitary foiled marches from various districts and towns. At least two dozen people were injured in the day long protests.
In the outskirts of summer capital here, the SOG of police and CRPF intercepted a huge procession near Hokarsar by firing tear gas shells and rounds of live ammunition which left at least a dozen injured.
The march started from Rajouri Kadal and passed through Nallahmar Road, Qamarwari, Parimpora, and HMT before being forcibly stopped near Hokarsar, Zainakot. People kept joining the procession with groups of youth getting added to it in every locality.
A huge contingent of police near Zainakot and Hokarsar on Srinagar-Varmul highway—where road was blocked by barricades—repeatedly fired in air to disperse the youth, who responded by hurling stones.
 In the police action that followed intermittently, nearly a dozen people were injured. The clashes continued for several hours.
 The repeated firing by forces triggered panic as people ran helter-skelter through the open fields on the either side of the highway.
 Fleets of ambulances from SMHS hospital rushed to the spot to shift the injured to hospital.
 The protest procession had a spill over effect as spontaneous protests broke out in several areas of the city.
 Youth staged demos at Parimpora, Qamarwari, JVC, Bemina, Batmaloo and other neighbouring localities. In many localities people protested in masjids and used loud speakers to raise pro-freedom and anti-India slogans.
 As the ambulances ferried the injured to SMHS, youth gathered outside the hospital and staged demos. They also attempted to attack Karan Nagar police station. Police resorted to aerial firing to disperse the protesters.
 Elsewhere in the city, protesters also broke out at Shalimar, Hawal, Lal Bazar, Gojwara, Rainawari, Nawa Kadal and several localities along Nallahmar Road.
 Normal life was crippled due to a spontaneous shutdown in the day. The shops, businesses in most areas of the city remained closed. The public transport remained off the roads on almost all routes.
 Schools and colleges remained closed as government ordered their closure for two days in view of the students’ protests called by Geelani faction of Hurriyat Conference.

PROTESTERS ATTACK SDA COMPLEX
 Protesters, this evening, attacked the office complex of Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) on Bemina Bypass. At the time of attack, that took place at around 7.30 pm, the Vice-Chairman, Kifayat Hussain Rizvi was sitting inside his office chamber.
 According to reports, Rizvi, immediately called the police and sought reinforcement to safeguard the SDA complex. However, according to reports, no fresh deployment of police was made in the complex till late in the evening as protesters made repeated attempts to barge into the complex.
 Pertinently, the protesters, during the Amarnath land row of 2008, had tried to set ablaze the SDA complex.

TARIQ RASOOL ADDS FROM BANDIPORA:
 At least 10 persons were injured, two of them critically, in clashes between groups of youth and forces at Bandipora today. Two of them, who happen to be minors and are brothers, are said to be critical.
 Protesters blocked roads and staged demos as police thwarted a procession from going to Sopur. The protesters hurled stones on policemen who used force to disperse them.
 Residents of various wards in Bandipora town accused the paramilitary CRPF and Special Operation Group (SOG) of ransacking the houses and thrashing elders during protests.
 The troopers who were deployed at ward No 2, 3, 4 and 5 did not spare the elderly persons, women and ransacked households. Residents alleged that paramilitary CRPF and SOG men damaged more than one dozen houses, vehicles and thrashed many women as they shouted pro-freedom slogans from the rooftops of houses.

KHALID GUL ADDS FROM ISLAMABAD:
 Several persons including policemen were injured in the violent clashes that broke out between protesters and police in several parts of this South Kashmir district. Police also foiled a Sopur Chalo march.
 In the morning people in large numbers gathered in Lal Chowk here and tried to march towards Sopur. However, a huge contingent of police and CRPF men rushed to the spot and resorted to intense tear gas shelling and baton charge to disperse the protesters, injuring several of them.
 In the neighboring Bijbehara town people came out on streets and starting proceeding towards Sopur. But the policemen used force to disperse them. Protesters offered resistance and pelted stones, injuring several police men.
 Later, the police sealed the Highway for about an hour bringing traffic to halt. In Islamabad town violent clashes continued throughout the day at Reeshi Bazar, Lal Chowk, Cheeni Chowk Malakhnag and Khanabal Chowk.
 Residents alleged that policemen barged into Jamia Masjid Hanfia and thrashed several people.
 In Kulgam town, clashes erupted at several places as the protesters pelted stones on policemen who retaliated by tear gas shelling. Two youth were injured in the tear gas shelling and were admitted in the district hospital.
 Clashes also broke out in Pulwama, Tral and Pampore townships of Pulwama district. However, there were no reports of any injury.
 In Shopian town a youth identified as Ishfaq Ahmad of Bonigam was critically injured when he was hit by a rubber bullet fired by the police at Gol Chowk. Later, ding dong battles between the protesters and the policemen continued throughout the day.
 Protesters also attacked DC offices Shopian by hurling stones.
 Police and CRPF men also barged into several houses in the town beating up the inmates including men, women and children. Four non-local labourers were also injured as they were beaten to pulp by the CRPF men.

SHAHID RAFIQ ADDS FROM KUPWARA:
 In the north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, all roads leading to Sopur were sealed by police. A curfew-like situation prevailed in Kupwara, Langate, Handwara, Trehgam and Lolab.
 From Langate and Kralgund a massive procession tried to march towards Sopur but the police and CRPF swung into action and dispersed the protesters. Protesters started stone pelting and in the retaliatory action nearly six persons were injured.
 The injured were removed to district hospital Handwara and PHC Kralgund for treatment. Protesters also attempted to ransack police station Kralgund. Forces resorted to aerial firing and tear gas shelling and dispersed the protesters.
 Another procession marched from Trehgam town of Kupwara which was lead by Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, convener JKLF and younger brother of Shaheed Maqbool Bhat. As the procession reached near Hiri it was stopped by police and CRPF.

NARROW ESCAPE FOR SCRIBES:
 At least a dozen media persons working with local and Delhi-based organizations had a narrow escape when SOG personnel fired several bullets towards them while they were carrying out their professional duties and covering the people’s march to Sopur.
 Reports said media persons including senior correspondents, working with print and electronic media were covering the procession at Lawaypora when they were caught in ding-dong battle between SOG personnel and protestors. As soon as they were spotted by policemen, they started shouting: “You are always the trouble creators. We will not spare you.”
 However when the journalists tried to display their video-cameras and writing pads to convey that they were media persons, the SOG personnel hurled abuses at them. “While hurling the abuses one SOG personnel shot two bullets towards us. But luckily they went over our head,” said a reporter. Sensing trouble, he said, some of the media persons ran into the paddy fields while few other slipped into the marshy land.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:00:00 IST