Two more protesters, including a woman, were killed in Chowgam area of Qazikund in South Kashmir late on Monday evening after security forces opened fire on protesters to disperse them.
With this the death toll in the ongoing cycle of violence has reached 46 in last 10 days while over 3,300 have been injured.
According to official sources, “nine people were injured in the firing on a group of protesters in Chowgam area late Monday evening”.
Two protesters killed in police firing have been identified as Sayeda Bano and Showqat Itoo. The duo succumbed to their bullet injuries while seven others have been shifted to the Srinagar hospital.
Fresh clashes erupted in the area following firing on protesters, local reports said.
Meanwhile, deceptive calm prevailed on the streets of Kashmir Valley on Monday even as curfew continued for the 10th consecutive day adversely impacting life of common Kashmiris huddled inside their houses in the absence of news papers, cable TV, suspended internet /mobile/ prepaid services.
According to police spokesman, “Overall situation across Kashmir valley remained peaceful on Monday. Only stray incidents of stone pelting were received from Hajin in Bandipora, Gogloosa Payeen in Kupwara, Kondbal, Mansbal in Ganderbal, Batamaloo in Srinagar and Khrew in Awantipora”.
A few persons and police/CRPF men were injured in these incidents.
A Base camp store of potato seed belonging to Agriculture Department was set on fire in Wouhlutra, Rafiaabad by miscreants.
Meanwhile, leaders cutting across party lines in New Delhi also sent clear signals of applying ‘healing touch’ from Parliament but there were no early signs of improvement in the ‘tense situation’ on ground zero.
The separatists leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq issued a joint statement extending the ‘shutdown’ call up to July 21 across Kashmir Valley.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti convened an All Party Meeting at SKICC in Srinagar on July 21 to discuss the prevailing “law and order” situation in Kashmir.
“Invitation has been extended to all the political parties including the PDP, the BJP, National Conference, the Congress, the CPI(M), the CPI, the National Panthers Party, the Democratic Party Nationalist, Peoples Democratic Front and others to discuss the prevailing situation and the measures to be taken to restore peace and normalcy in the Valley,” the Government said in an official statement.
Three-time PDP MlA from Pulwama Mohd Khalil Bandh was badly injured late Sunday night when his official car turned turtle soon after his driver decided to reverse the car after spotting large number of protesters near Frisal on Pulwama road.
Sixty-four-year-old Khalil Bandh received critical injuries and was rushed to district hospital in Pulwama and from there he was shifted to Army hospital in Srinagar in the wee hours. His condition is reported to be stable.
The State Government spokesman said, “The PDP MlA was travelling to his residence from Srinagar to Pulwama when he met with an accident late Sunday night”.
“The MlA has sustained fracture in leg and is being treated at a local hospital,” the spokesman said.
The Chief Minister visited him in the hospital to inquire about his health.
Former Chief Minister and working president of the National Conference Omar Abdullah, however, wasted no opportunity to target her.
He immediately took to the micro-blogging social networking site to criticise Chief Ministers action. Omar posted a tweet,”That @MehboobaMufti went to see her injured MlA is understandable; that she didn’t visit any other injured is inexplicable & unforgivable!!!”
This is the second major attack on PDP MlA during the last one week. Earlier, house of PDP MlA from Kokernag AR Rather was torched by the protesters along with sprawling Apple orchard.
The Chief Minister also chaired a high-level security review meeting where the Principal Secretary Home briefed the meeting about the overall law and order situation and the steps being taken to restore normalcy in the Valley. He said the situation has stabilised in most of the districts and except for some sporadic incidents of protests and stone-pelting the overall law and order scenario has improved substantially.
While taking a review of the condition of injured and availability of medicines and other equipment in hospitals, the Chief Minister was informed by the Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education Department that out of the 2,115 people injured during the prevailing law and order situation, 1,924 have been discharged from the hospitals while 191 are still undergoing treatment — including 70 people with eye injuries.
Meanwhile, no major incident of street violence or stone pelting was reported from Srinagar city even as rural pockets in South Kashmir remained tense with small groups of angry protesters engaging in ding dong battles with the paramilitary forces.
The interior roads across rural pockets have been virtually dominated by the young protesters making it difficult for any one to pass through the area due to numerous road blockades.
Due to prevailing law and order situation the Karvan-e-Aman Cross-line of Control (loC) bus remained suspended for the third consecutive week. On the 17th day of Shri Amarnathji Yatra, 6,679 Yatris paid obeisance at the Holy Cave. Till date 1,79,530 Yatris had darshan at the Holy Cave.