At least, one person was killed and two others wounded when the police opened fire to quell a mob in Baramulla, 58-km northwest of Srinagar, on Monday evening.
Reports said that the historic town erupted again after the body of a 13-year-old boy was fished out of Jhelum by Navy personnel. Farhan Rafiq Burhoo had drowned in t
he river while the police was reportedly chasing stone-throwing protesters in the town’s Azad Gunj locality on Saturday. Residents had alleged that the members of local police’s counter-insurgency Special Operations Group aboard a private truck attacked the boy and then pushed him in Jhelum, but officials had strongly denied the charge and said that the cause of the drowning was being ascertained.
Soon after the Marine Commandos fished the body of the Class 7 student out of the river and subsequently the police handed it over to the family for burial, crowds took to the streets chanting pro-freedom slogans. The word spread in the town that the body had violent marks, including on arms. A huge procession heading towards the office of the district magistrate with the boy’s casket was intercepted by the riot police and the CRPF personnel midway. The DC, Bashir Ahmed Butt, who was also present assured the people that the guilty policemen will be brought to justice.
Witnesses said that while turning back some of the youth within the procession attacked a CRPF bunker vehicle near the R&B department building on which the policemen onboard opened fire injuring three persons. One of them identified as 25-year-old Fayaz Ahmed Khanday was declared brought dead when taken to hospital.
After the shooting incident, the clashes between irate mobs and the police have spread to new areas and the authorities are trying to enforce a curfew on the town. Reports said that 18 persons including three women and nine policemen were injured in streets battles which were still underway as reports last came in. The authorities have moved in fresh reinforcements to control the situation.
Meanwhile, Srinagar’s Batamallo are witnessed clashes between the police and civilian mobs protesting over the death of a resident and injuries to his brother and two others.