Two persons received bullet injuries while several others were hit with shotgun pellet ammunition as government forces fired at protesters during a cordon-and-search operation (CASO) in Kujar area of southern Kulgam district on Wednesday, officials said.
The area was cordoned off following inputs about presence ofmilitants in the area, an official said.
A witness told Greater Kashmir that as the CASO started,youth took to streets and pelted forces with stones at Kujar and Tangibal areasof Frisal.
The forces retaliated by lobbed teargas shells and alsofired bullets to disperse them, the witness said.
Two persons sustained bullet injuries and were evacuated todistrict hospital Anantnag.
“Many others who received pellet and shell injuries werebeing treated at SDH Yaripora, SDH Qaimoh and PHC Frisal,” a group of localresidents said.
“A boy named Faizan Mir has received bullet injuries in hisright shoulder while another youth Suhail Bhat had a bullet wound in the leftthigh. They were referred to Srinagar hospitals for advanced treatment,” said ahealth official at district hospital Anantnag.
A police official confirmed the bullet injury to two personsbut did not associate the incident with CASO.
“We have received reports about the bullet injury to twopersons and pellet injuries to several others. We are ascertaining the details.Prima-facie the incident did not take place during CASO at Kujar,” said theofficial, who wished not to be named.
During the cordon, locals alleged that forces set ablaze acowshed but the police denied the allegation as baseless.
A police officer told Greater Kashmir that during the CASO,”miscreants hurled petrol bomb on forces which missed the target and damagedthe cowshed”.
A case has been registered in this regard, he said.
The operation, he said, was called off later.
Meanwhile, joint forces carried out another search operationin Zasow village of Lassipora in Pulwama district on Wednesday evening.
The forces, according to local residents, laid siege to thevillage and conducted house-to-house searches, which were going on when thisreport was being filed.