Protests erupted outside Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid, in Nowhatta, after Friday prayers. Amidst pro-freedom and anti-India slogans, protesters pelted stones at the police. The police resorted to tear gas shelling and firing pellet guns in order to disperse the protesting youth.
“Despite tear gas shelling, the youth didn’t backtrack and more protesters joined the group and the protests spread to adjacent areas including Gojwara, Saraf Kadal and Rajouri Kadal,” eyewitnesses said. There were, however, no reports of any injuries.
As clashes between forces and protesters continued, there was also a confrontation between the police and media persons when the former tried to stop photographers from clicking pictures of a minor boy who was being whisked away in a police vehicle.
“We tried to click pictures of a 9-year-old boy being taken away by policemen, but they stopped us. Some of us protested that we were simply doing our job. This angered the policemen,” a photographer who witnessed the incident said. He added that the police tried to mask the minor’s face when they saw photographers clicking pictures of the incident.
There was an angry exchange of words, with the policemen even threatening to “shoot” the photographers.
Clashes near Jamia Masjid: Police whisk away minor, try to prevent photographers from taking pictures
