As life started limping back to normalcy in Bandipora township, scores of youth took to streets at Papchan and various wards of the Main Town Sunday and clashed with police and paramilitary CRPF men.
Shops and other business establishments reopened after observing complete shutdown for four days to protest the killing of a local youth Hilal Ahmed Dar allegedly in a fake encounter. The area witnessed massive protests against the killing of the youth.
 Vehicular traffic, which had come to a grinding halt due to massive protests and clashes, rolled normally on all routes while shops and other business establishments also reopened today. The inter-district bus service too operated normally.
 All shops and commercial establishments in the main town and adjoining villages including Aloosa the native village of deceased Hilal Ahmad Dar opened on Sunday.
 The situation, however, remained tense at Papchan, Ward 2, 3, 4 and 5 throughout the day.
 Scores of youth raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans took to the streets in Ward 2, 3, 4 and 5 on Sunday morning and tried to proceed towards the Main Chowk. Police and paramilitary CRPF troopers used force to quell the protesters. Protesters retaliated with stones, triggering clashes which lasting several hours.
 Around 60 people including 25 cops have sustained injuries since the eruption of clashes in the town on July 25.
 Bandipora has been in the grip of violent protests and clashes since July 25 when 25-year-old boy Hilal Ahmed was killed in alleged staged shootout by the troopers of 27 RR.
 Meanwhile, residents from different localities of Bandipora told Greater Kashmir that window panes and doors of most houses located on the roadside of the town were smashed by the CRPF troopers.
 “They don’t even allow us to peep out of the window. Even women and children were beaten. During late hours the CRPF personnel resort to stone pelting to damage windowpanes,” said Saleem Ahmed of Bandipora.
 Complaints were received from several localities of Qazipora, Watapora, Nowpora and Nebrpora here with people complained that CRPF barge into their houses late in the evenings, once the protests end, break window panes and beat up inmates.
 “In Putushay many houses were damaged by CRPF by resorting to stone pelting. Such atrocious act by the paramilitary forces and police was forcing people to go for nocturnal protests,” said Ghulam Hassan.
 CRPF and police were damaging the property and thrashing people also at Nowpora in the late evening, the residents said.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 29 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 29 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 30 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST