- Protests , Clashes continues on 149th Day
- Clashes erupt on CM’s visit, SDPO injured
- In Srinagar, the summer capital, Sunday market remained abuzz throughout the day while shoppers could be seen buying winter stuff.
Clashes erupted in Kelam village of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district as Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, visited the village leaving a senior police official injured.
Mehbooba was in the village to inaugurate ATM of the local branch of Jammu and Kashmir Bank.
Despite a call for relaxation in the shutdown by separatist leaders, Kelam village remained shut since morning today as the news of Mehbooba’s visit spread.
Clashes erupted in the area but the protesting youth were kept safely away from the place of Mehbooba’s visit by government forces.
However, as soon as she left violent clashes spread throughout the area and continued for the rest of the day.
Police maintained that there were no clashes in the area but a stone thrown by some ‘miscreant’ hit one of their officials on the head.
“Somebody threw a stone which hit Abdul Khalid, SDPO Qazigund, on his head. He received three stitches and is out of danger now,” SP Kulgam, Sreedhar Patil told Kashmir Post, “There were no clashes in the area.”
Media persons, who had reached the area to cover Mehbooba’s visit, alleged that they were harassed by the government forces and were not allowed to cover the event.
Chief Minister also visited Kulgam main town to inaugurate a Nursing College and laid foundation stone for a Maternity Hospital.
Even as Kashmir remained abuzz with activities on weekend relaxation call by joint resistance leadership, massive protests erupted at Palhallan and Tral area while as yet another school went up in flames in south Kashmir, witnesses and reports said on Sunday.
In Srinagar, the summer capital, Sunday market remained abuzz throughout the day while shoppers could be seen buying winter stuff.
Roads witnessed massive traffic jams as public transport plied smoothly. Private vehicles also plied on roads in a big number. This is the third weekend relaxation announced by the joint resistance leadership since July 8. In old city all major markets remained abuzz with activities.
Reports said that all the schools were open across Kashmir with full attendance of students.
South Kashmir
Devsar and other adjoining villages observed a complete shutdown on Sunday against the killing of a local Fisheries department employee, Asadullah Kumar, of Mudhal- Devsar allegedly by government forces.
The Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti visited the area amidst shutdown to inaugurate the JK Bank ATM. She also visited the hospital and college in Kelam village of Devsar. “Shops remained closed and traffic was of the roads in Devsar- Kellam and adjoining villages,” witnesses said.
They said police and paramilitary forces were deployed in strength to thwart any attempts of protests. “Clashes, however, erupted between the forces and protesters after the Chief Minister left the area,” witnesses added.
Meanwhile, Dooru and Verinag areas of Anantnag district continued to observe shutdown against the killing of a Congress Sarpanch Sajad Malik allegedly by forces during police custody. Shops remained shut while traffic remained off the roads.
In Southern Tral area of Pulwama district clashes erupted on Sunday evening after the culmination of a religious function at the shrine of Hazrat Shah-e-Hamdan (RA).
Witnesses said that youth pelted stones on the paramilitary forces stationed in the town after the Urs of Hazrat Shah-e-Hamdan ended at Khanqah-e-Faiz Panah. The forces responded by firing teargas shells.
Shopkeepers downed their shutters following the clashes. The whole market wore a deserted look despite the relaxation in shutdown called by the separatist leadership. “Some youth who were returning from Urs, pelted stones on forces who were chased” SP Awantipora Zahid Malik said.
Earlier the annual Urs of Hazat Amir Kabeer Mir Syed Ali Hamdani (RA), popularly known as Shah-e-Hamdan, was observed at Khanqah-e-Faiz Panah in the area with religious fervor and enthusiasm. The Urs is observed on 6 Zul Hijjah every year but local Auqaf administration had postponed it due to the ongoing uprising.
Another school goes up in flames
Another government run school went into flames in a mysterious fire incident in Kokernag area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district last night.
Officials said that a government high school was torched at Narsangri in Larnoo area last night. “The fire damaged the rooftop of the building and few rooms of,” an official said.
The flames were brought under control by police and Fire and Emergency Department personnel, the official said, adding that no was injured in the incident. The cause of the fire is being ascertained, the official added.
North Kashmir
North Kashmir’s Palhallan area observed a spontaneous shutdown on Sunday against the arrest of three local youth.
Locals alleged that forces raided the area last night and arrested three youth. As the word about the arrest spread, locals took to the streets in the morning and staged a massive protest demanding immediate release of the arrested youth. However, forces resorted to massive teargas shelling to disperse the protesters, who retaliated with stones triggering clashes.
NC condemns detention of legislators
The main opposition party National Conference has condemned the detention of its legislators from south Kashmir in Anantnag (Islamabad) while they were on their way to Dooru and said this incident had yet again exposed the “tyrannical and anti-democratic creed” of the current PDP-BJP dispensation.
In a statement here National Conference Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani said the detention of party legislators Altaf Ahmed Kaloo, Abdul Majeed Larmi and Dr Bashir Ahmed Veeri indicates Government “desperation” in trying to hide what has happened in Dooru.
“Detaining legislators and disallowing them from reaching out to the people is extremely tragic and highly condemnable. This has exposed Mehbooba Mufti’s tall claims about working towards the restoration of normalcy in the state. When legislators are detained and not allowed to visit a specific area to ascertain the truth – all claims of the Chief Minister stand exposed as hollow rhetoric”, Wani said.
