Clashes in Pulwama against ‘manhandling’ of militant’s family
South Kashmir’s Shopian and Pulwama districts observed a complete shutdown on Friday to protest the killing of two Hizb militants in a gunfight at Manzgam village of Shopian district.
Thousands of mourners participated in the funeral processions of Irshad Ahmad Sheikh of Maldeera Shopian and Adil Khanday of Barbugh Imam sahib. They were laid to rest amid pro-Kashmir and anti-India slogans in their native graveyards.
All the shops and business establishments remained closed in Pulwama and Shopian while transport remained off the roads.
Eyewitnesses said intense clashes broke out in Pulwama district against the manhandling of family members of Hizb militant Bilal Ahmed Bhat of Karimabad Pulwama allegedly by government forces in Shopian on Thursday night. “There was a rumor that Bilal Ahmed was also killed in the Shopian gunfight. We arranged four Sumo vehicles to get his ‘body’. As we reached Shopian the Government forces targeted us, smashed the windowpanes of our vehicles and ruthlessly beat up us,” the family members of Bilal Ahmed told CNS.
People took to streets and protested against this incident. The youth clashed with government forces while police resorted to tear gas shelling to disperse them. The protesting youth resorted to heavy stone-pelting near Murran chowk.
Several protesters were injured in the clashes. Meanwhile, Tral town also remained shut against the killing of two Hizb militants.
