- Over 80 injured in fresh clashes across Kashmir
- No let-up in pellet firing, teargas shelling
- 45 more stone-pelters arrested in 24 hours: Police
- Postpaid mobile service restored
A 13-year-old girl died of cardiac arrest during protests and clashes in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Tuesday, taking the death toll in the ongoing uprising to 87, even as more than 80 people were injured in fresh clashes that erupted in several areas during the day, reports and witnesses said. Over 13,000 people have been injured, so far, in the past 73 days of uprising triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8.
South Kashmir
Khushboo Jan, aged 13, daughter of Muhammad Hussain Bhat—and a Class 7th student of Gadafpora village in Shopian, collapsed during clashes between protesters and forces near Chatwatan area, witnesses and her family said. The girl was taken to Primary Health Center at Harmain where doctors declared her as brought dead. The preliminary cause of her death was stated to be cardiac arrest, a doctor said.
According to her family, “people from Gadafpora and other villages came out of their houses since early morning to proceed towards Vihil village to participate in a proposed freedom rally-cum-unity conference of various sects, there. However, the forces on way stopped them, triggering clashes. In the afternoon, announcements were made from mosque loudspeakers in Kachdoora and Chatwatan, asking people from adjoining villages to reach there as forces had injured many people and also set ablaze houses and a school.”
The family said as Khushboo’s father and his brother were also among those who had gone to participate in the Vehil rally, the worried child went out to look for them.
“While she was about to reach Chatwatan where violent clashes were going on, she along with other people ran for safety after hearing loud bangs of teargas and sound shells,” said Nisar Ahmad Bhat, Khusboo’s cousin.
He said as she starting running, she collapsed and fell down with blood oozing from her nose and mouth. “People took her to PHC Harmain but she had succumbed on way,” Bhat said.
Khusboo was youngest among her four sisters and a lone brother. Her father is into the profession of embroidery (Til-Dozi).
Police however claimed that Khusboo didn’t die during clashes. In a statement, a police spokesman claimed: “Some people have posted on social networking sites that a girl namely Khushboo D/O Mohd Hussain Bhat R/O Gaddapora Shopian died of heart attack after clashes between Police/Security forces and miscreants in Vehil, Shopian. In this regard, the district administration Shopian has clarified that Gaddapora , the home of the said girl, is about 7 Km from Vehil, where the miscreants set on fire a school and also indulged in stone-pelting. As per the hospital authorities, the girl has died in all likelihood because of cardiac arrest.”
“The death of the girl is no way related to the incident that happened at Vehil. These posts are as such bereft of facts and are as such clarified,” the police spokesman claimed.
Meanwhile, police imposed stringent curfew and erected barricades at various places to prevent people from reaching Vihil village where a pro-freedom rally was proposed to be held. At least 70 people were injured, two of them critically, in clashes that erupted between protesters and forces in the area.
Witnesses said as people started moving towards Vihil, police and paramilitary forces deployed in large numbers confronted them near Kachdoora and Chatwatan. As people resisted, the clashes erupted.
“Forces lobbed teargas shells and also fired pellets, injuring at least 70 people,” they said.
Health officials said 50 injured were treated at local health centers and district hospital Shopian. “Two of the injured—one of them with teargas shell injury in head and the other with pellets in eye—were referred to Srinagar hospitals for specialized treatment,” they said.
Witnesses said Government High School Chatwatan went up in flames when a teargas shell fired by forces landed inside it.
“The building suffered an extensive damage,” they said. “A residential house, a cowshed and apple carton also caught fire after shells landed inside them.”
Curfew was also clamped in Shopian town to prevent people from reaching Vihil. Authorities also thwarted Pulwama march called by Kashmir’s joint resistance leadership for Shopian residents by imposing strict curfew in the town and adjoining villages.
At least 30 people sustained injuries in pellet and teargas shelling in late evening clashes in Kaimoh area of Kulgam district. Reports said eight injured were hit by pellets and of these, three were referred to Srinagar hospitals for specialized treatment. Witnesses said four houses were also damaged in forces’ action. The clashes were triggered after forces entered residential houses at Kaimoh and damaged property and household goods, witnesses said.
The Islamia Hanfia Higher Secondary School in Anantnag was gutted in a mysterious fire incident on Monday, officials and witnesses said. “The school, one of the oldest institutes in Kashmir, went up in flames in the afternoon,” an official said. He said locals and firemen doused the raging fire, but not before the school building suffered an extensive damage.
“The cause of fire could not be ascertained immediately,” officials said.
Witnesses however said when the incident occurred, there were no protests or clashes in the area, though deployment of forces was in place.
Srinagar
Police had imposed strict curbs in old Srinagar areas and also in Lal Chowk area to prevent large gatherings.
Residents of New Theed Harwan on Srinagar outskirts, where an 11-year-old boy was killed in pellet firing, alleged vandalism by forces.
“Forces broke windowpanes of dozens of residential houses besides hurling abuses at the inmates. The police also detained dozens of youth and also beat them to pulp,” the residents alleged.
They said strict curfew was imposed in the area and heavy deployment of forces was made.
Reports from old Srinagar areas said a peaceful rally was held in Nowhatta that passed through a few areas and culminated peacefully.
Reports of evening clashes came in from Rainawari, Khanyar, Sekidafar, Saraf Kadal, 90-feet Road Soura and Hawal. Reports said that clashes were witnessed at Lawaypora, Eidgah, Palpora, Qamarwari and Chattabal areas too. A torch procession was taken out after Magrhib prayers at Nowgam. Reports of peaceful protests also came in from Soiteng, Lasjan, Hyderpora and Peerbagh.
North Kashmir
Forces foiled a freedom march at Tarzoo area in Sopore township on Monday. Residents said thousands had gathered at Tarzoo but forces reached the spot and vandalized the tents and also allegedly took away 13 motor-bikes and later set them ablaze. The locals said the forces also detained the Hurriyat Conference (M) leader Ghulam Nabi Zaki.
Reports said people organised a peaceful night rally at Botingoo, Sopore in which hundreds of youth marched towards main chowk Botingoo where protestors shouted pro-freedom slogans. Reports said a complete shutdown was observed in Baramulla town where forces had blocked an old bridge to prevent movement of people. Reports from Kupwara said protests were held in Trehgam area. Curbs were imposed in Bandipora district to foil ‘Bandipora march’. Senior resistance leader Abdus Samad Inqalabi alleged that during a night raid at his Sumbal residence, a police party detained his three brothers and nephew who have been lodged at an unknown destination.
Central Kashmir
In Ganderbal district, market places and roads wore a deserted look due to complete shutdown. However some private vehicles were seen plying on Srinagar-Leh highway. A delegation of family members and relatives of youth recently booked under PSA in the district have complained that jail authorities at Kotbhalwal, Udhampur and Kathua in Jammu province are not allowing them to meet the detainees. Pertinently, 11 youth were booked under PSA in Ganderbal district in August and September for their alleged participation in the ongoing uprising. 10 of them were shifted to Kathua, Udhampur and Kotbhalwal jails and one to Central Jail Srinagar.
Meanwhile, all roads were sealed in the district to foil Ganderbal march called by the joint resistance leadership. Clashes erupted in Wussan area in which at least 12 youth sustained injuries. Wussan residents alleged vandalism by forces. Reports from Budgam district said a peaceful protest was held at Ompura while rest of the district witnessed curbs and complete shutdown.
Police Version
According to a spokesman of Zonal Police Headquarters Kashmir, “barring stray stone pelting incidents in Sopore and Shopian, overall situation remained under control today. Increased vehicular traffic and movement of people was observed on roads between various districts and towns of the valley including Srinagar city.”
The spokesman said that restrictions under section 144 CrPC remained in force in Kashmir. “However, curfew was imposed under the areas of some police stations in Srinagar city and Vehil area of Shopian District only. Continuing with its sustained drive against the trouble mongers involved in disturbing the situation in the valley by placing obstructions on roads/lanes, damaging civilian vehicles and shops, police arrested 45 miscreants during the past 24 hours. A group of miscreants with the intention of creating disturbance assembled at village Vehil in District Shopian set on fire a Middle school building. Police and security force deployment reached the spot to deal with the situation where miscreants resorted to stone pelting. In order to disperse the miscreants little force was used which caused injures to two miscreants/stone pelters. In this incident some police/security personnel also got injured.”
Postpaid Mobile Services Restored
In a statement, a police spokesperson said: “With the improvement in the situation it has been decided to restore postpaid mobile telephony from tonight.”
The services were snapped on the eve of Eid on September 12 afternoon. This is third instance when the state authorities had snapped mobile services in Kashmir valley.
Internet services on mobile phones, however, continue to remain suspended in the valley.
