Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s “give peace a chance” appeal see-ms to have failed to create any impact in Kashmir Valley as the scenic region continues to simmer. Two persons were killed and eight others injured when the security forces opened fire to quell mob at Sarnal Laazbal in southern Anantnag city and at Narbal on the outskirts of summer capital Srinagar on Saturday.
Crowds defied curfew at several places in Srinagar and elsewhere by holding demonstrations and at few places clashed with security forces when they stepped in and swung bamboo sticks, burst teargas canisters and opened fire to restore order.
The CRPF opened fire to quell a rock-throwing mob at Sarnal Laazbal in southern Anantnag district in the evening wounding half a dozen persons. One of them identified as Ishtiaq Ahmed Latoo died on way to hospital, reports said.
The police said that the CRPF personnel came under heavy stone-pelting while they were withdrawing from K.P. Chowk in the area. “The mob attacked the vehicles as well as the personnel. The forces tried their best to control the mob by using minimum force. However, the mob did not relent and the forces had to resort to a controlled fire in self defence in which one person was killed,” the police said.
Earlier, hundreds of protesters after breaching security walked in Hazratbal shrine here to offer midday prayers and then used the loudspeakers at one of the most revered Islamic holy places in the region to broadcast pro-freedom slogans. Police officials rushed in to persuade the protesters to leave and when they refused policemen entered the main prayer hall and evicted them forcibly. Four persons were injured.
Witnesses said that the police at Hazratbal had refused the residents of the neighbourhood localities entry into the shrine to offer prayers on the security plea and also because curfew was in force in Srinagar but they resisted and overrun the security barriers. After the prayers were offered, a section of devotees including many youth held the floor and started chanting pro-freedom slogans.
The police blamed the incident on “miscreants” among the devotees who, it claimed, attacked police barracks and vehicles guarding the shrine injuring four policemen including the area SP. “After the prayers were offered, a group of boys refused to come out and indulged in sloganeering. It was told to leave the premises but did not relent and instead attacked the armed police barracks, a troop carrier and a Gypsy. The policemen conducted the lathi-charge and dispersed the unruly mob,” a statement issued from the police headquarters here said.