Srinagar, Sept 7: Angry protests were witnessed across the Valley on Tuesday against the killing of four persons in police firing in Palhalan on Monday. The Government clamped a curfew in the summer capital here and in Islamabad town while restrictions on civilian movement were in place elsewhere to contain protests.
In the evening two youth were injured in police and CRPF firing on protesters at Fateh Kadal and Habba Kadal in downtown here.
Witnesses said people protested on roads the highhandedness of CRPF during the Shab-e-Qadr the previous night. CRPF men opened fire at Chotta Bazar on protesters injuring a teenager Abid Bazaz of Chotta Bazar near Habba Kadal. He was shifted to SMHS hospital.
At Chinkral Mohalla near Fateh Kadal, CRPF fired teargas shells on protesters. Witnesses said a shell hit and injured a youth identified as Omar Ahmad of Habba Kadal.
“The CRPF men have unleashed terror in the entire area. They damage our property and vehicles and also beat women,” locals said.
During the day entire city, mainly the downtown Srinagar, was placed under a strict curfew. Additional police and CRPF men were deployed on roads and streets to implement the curfew. Immediately after dawn prayers, the forces blocked roads by barricades and razor wires and didn’t allow people to venture out of homes.
The CRPF men didn’t allow the movement of the essential services including the ambulances of various city hospitals. They didn’t honour the fresh curfew passes issued by the district administration to the employees of the essential services departments and media persons. At Rainawari, CRPF troopers attacked the Greater Kashmir staff vehicle and damaged its windowpanes by hurling marbles and stones on it.
The situation remained calm during the day. Protests broke at a few places including Tengpora Byepass, Nowpora and Khanyar where young boys staged demonstrations and pelted stones on police and CRPF. At Nowpora, witnesses said, a group of CRPF personnel while chasing protesters entered residential areas including Alamdar Colony.
They said the protesters gave them a slip following which CRPF went berserk beating whosoever came their way.
“They barged into homes and broke household goods and valuables including TV sets, refrigerators and the window panes of vehicles parked in the locality,” a local told Greater Kashmir over phone.
The CRPF men also snapped power lines of the locality. In central Kashmir’s Budgam district, restrictions on civilian movement were in place during the day.
Protests were reported from the Ompora locality of the town. Late in the evening, reports said, police launched a crackdown at Gole market, Karan Nagar in civil lines area of the city.
“A large number of police vehicles arrived in the locality and were looking out for the youth who were taking part in pro-freedom protests,” locals said. No reports of any arrest were received.

KHALID GUL ADDS
FROM SOUTH KASHMIR:
Following violent clashes last night, the authorities Tuesday clamped curfew in this South Kashmir town. Several people were injured in the clashes during the night, one of them critically.
“During the entire night, youth in large numbers organized massive pro-freedom demonstrations and kept on attacking the Sherbagh Police station. The protesters pelted stones and bricks on the police station and also hurled several petrol bombs inside. The police resorted to heavy tear gas shelling injuring about five persons one of whom was referred to Srinagar in a critical condition,” eyewitnesses said.
The police station is located near three important masjids of the town; Jamia Masjid Hanfia, Jamia Masjid Ahlihadith, Rehat Ded masjid.
The protests continued till Sehri (pre-dawn meals) forcing the authorities to declare curfew in the town. Police and CRPF were deployed in strength in the entire town. Late in the evening, however, when the deployment was reduced youth again took to streets at various places in old town; Malakhnag, Cheeni Chowk, Reeshi Bazar, Sherpora, Janglat Mandi, Achabal Adda, Dangerpora, Mattan Chowk and Lal Chowk and clashed with police and CRPF.
Clashes also erupted in several K.P road areas, Khanabal, Naibasti, Laizbal and Gulshanabad. The forces lobbed tear gas canisters and fired several rounds in air to disperse the youth, who offered stiff resistance and hurled stones and bricks on them. At least five policemen and six CRPF men sustained injuries.
In Mattan area, the protesters had a close shave when the paramilitary forces directly fired on them. Reports said as people were protesting against the forces excesses, a CRPF contingent passing through the area came under heavy stone pelting.
“The CRPF fired directly on the protesters, however the bullets hit the walls,” said an eyewitness. He said that CRPF men lobbed tear gas canisters. They, he said, then went berserk, barged into several houses, beat up the inmates and also damaged the window panes of several houses.
Reports of protests and clashes were also received from Bijbehara town.
In other South Kashmir towns; Kulgam, Qaimoh, Shopian, Pulwama, Kakpora, Pampore, Tral, Awantipora, Section 144 was enforced and the movement of the people was restricted.
In Pulwama district, clashes broke out between forces and protesters at Drangbal, Pampore when the latter tried to stage demonstrations against the Palhalan killings. Protesters were also locked in clashes with forces in main town Pulwama.
However, violent clashes erupted in Kadalbal, Pampore, throughout the day after several youth were detained by the police. People came out on streets and protested the police action. The forces lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. Protests and clashes also erupted in Kulgam, Qaimoh and Shopian.
In Pulwama protests and clashes were witnessed in Prechoo, Samboora and Muran Chowk and Chatipora in the main town.

NORTH KASHMIR:
A police constable was today taken hostage twice by groups of youth but released following the intervention of local elders in Pattan town in Varmul district.
Constable Imtiaz Ahmad, a resident of Dooru village in Sopur, was on his way to his posting at Khag area in Budgam district when a mob intercepted him at Palhallan, police said. The protesters were protesting the killing of four persons by police yesterday.
Ahmad, who was not in his uniform, was taken hostage by the people as soon as they found his police identity card, they said, adding he was released after several hours following intervention by local elders.
However, the policeman was in trouble again as he was detained by another group of protesters less than a kilometer from Palhalan.
Ahmad spent another hour in captivity before some local elders brought him to Pattan police station where he was handed over to the station house officer.
Protests broke out in Sopur town amid restrictions on civilian movement.
People staged protests in the town and pelted stones on police station. Policemen and CRPF men chased them away baton charging and lobbing tear gas shells.
At least 13 persons were injured, 3 of them critically, when police and CRPF resorted to heavy smoke shelling and cane charging to disperse a protest rally here in Manigam Ganderbal on Tuesday.
Witness said in the afternoon hundreds of people took to streets to protest the killing of four persons in police firing yesterday in Pattan. According to the eyewitness the protesters were chanting pro-freedom slogans and were heading towards the Srinagar-Leh highway in the form of a procession. However, police and CRPF intercepted and cane charged the protesters and burst several teargas shells to disperse the protestors.
However the protestors engaged police and CRPF in pitched battles and started stone pelting on police. In the ensuing clashes, 13 persons including several CRPF and policemen were injured. Three persons who were critically injured have been shifted to SKIMS according to locals.
Locals further alleged that forces broke windowpanes and beat and dragged the inmates out while chasing the protesters.
Raising pro-freedom slogans, residents of Duderhama took to streets and hurled stones on police. The protesters were chased away by police and nobody was reported to have been injured.
Three persons were wounded when police and paramilitary CRPF troopers fired teargas canisters to disperse protesters in Trehgam Kupwara on Tuesday.
Eyewitnesses told Greater Kashmir that hundreds of people took to streets to protest against the killings of four persons in Palhalan.
The police fired teargas shells and resorted to aerial firing in which three persons Zakir Ahmed, Muhammed Sultan and Muhammad Abdullah were wounded.
Massive protests also broke out in Ladoora Rafiabad against the killings.
A complete shutdown was observed in Bandipora, Varmul, Tangmarg and other towns.

POLICE VERSION:
“The situation across the valley remained by and large peaceful barring few stray incidents of stone pelting by miscreant groups at Singhpora, Tappar  in Varmul, Chinkipora, Bomie in Sopur, Kangan Bazaar, near DC office in Shopian, Nowgam and Tengpora By pass in Srinagar.
“A group of miscreants pelted stones on police station, Sopur who were chased away using mild lathie charge and tear smoke shells. In the evening during withdrawal of deployments a mob of miscreants pelted stones on the security forces. Forces used tear smoke shells and later on pallets to disperse the frenzy mob. One person namely Aabid Ahmad Bazaaz  son of Ghulam Jeelani resident of Kani kadal sustained injury in his right leg and has been shifted to Bone and Joint Hospital.
His condition is stable.
During the intervening night of 6/7th September huge groups of miscreants pelted stones and hurled petrol bombs on Police Station Nowhatta. Exercising maximum restraint Police chased them away. However, nine miscreants were arrested on spot in the incident.
In another incident in the night, about 800 miscreants pelted stones police station Karan Nagar. Police chased them away in which two persons got injured. Among them one Asif Ahmed Bazaz r/o Karan Nagar was shifted to B&J Hospital.
About 80 miscreants pelted stones on CRPF deployed at Budshah Chowk. They were chased away without any one being injured.”

(With inputs from Parvaiz Reshi, Shahid Rafiq)

Lastupdate on : Tue, 7 Sep 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 7 Sep 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 8 Sep 2010 00:00:00 IST