The Kashmir Valley has witnessed widespread protests during which irate mobs attacked a police station, several vehicles of the police, paramilitary forces and those carrying a group of government employees returning home from the civil secretariat here.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah discussed and reviewed the situation with his Cabinet colleagues here on Monday evening. Later, while speaking to reporters some of the minister who attended the meeting said the government was concerned at the recent “unfortunate incidents” and appealed the people, including separatists, and Opposition parties not to politicise the situation at the cost of innocent human lives for their interests. They said, “If separatists and Opposition parties are really concerned about the situation, they should extend their cooperation to the government in restoring normalcy in the Valley.”
Witnesses said that the CRPF personnel deployed at a defunct “Kapra” movie theatre at Model Town swung bamboo sticks, fired teargas canisters and also warning shots in the air to break up a huge procession heading towards nearby Sopore town. When it failed to achieve the desired result, they opened fire, killing a 17-year-old youth Tajamul Ahmed Butt. Another youth, some reports say a 9-year-old-boy, Tariq Ahmed Rather was shot dead by the CRPF and the local police at Dalina on Baramulla-Sopore road. There again the security personnel opened fire to push back a procession heading towards Sopore, reports said.
Witnesses said that the police fired live ammunition also at Laweypora on the outskirts of Srinagar as thousands of residents, young and old, began a long march towards Sopore, 48 km northwest of here, where three youth were killed in police firings reportedly to quell violent protests earlier on June 25 and 27. Several protesters were injured in the police action at Laweyrpora where, witnesses said motorcycle-borne youth, who were wearing bandanas and holding lathis at the head of a huge procession, attacked policemen forcing them to flee. The procession had originated from Rajwari Kadal in central Srinagar where the headquarters of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Awami Action Committee is located. Some policemen were injured in the brick-bating during which the irate mob also damaged police vehicles.
The call for “Sopore chalo” march had been issued by both factions of the Hurriyat Conference alliance. Though the police detained or placed under house arrest almost all prominent separatists, including the Mirwaiz, thousands obeyed their call and began marching towards Sopore either on foot or using different means of transport. As a “preventive measure, the administration closed all colleges and schools for two days from Monday, postponed examinations and fanned out thousands of policemen and paramilitaries to enforce security restrictions in cities and towns to prevent trouble from spreading.