Amid a Valley-wide curfew and restrictions on public movement, thousands of people on Friday staged demonstrations across Kashmir even as clashes between security forces and the protesters left 130 people injured on the 35th day of unrest that began after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani during an encounter in south Kashmir on July 8.
The protests spilled over to Jammu and at least ten people, including an SHO were injured in Jammu’s Doda, after clashes erupted between protesters and security forces after the Friday prayers.
Protests were reported from Bhaderwah area of Doda district.
A police spokesman said that more than three dozen incidents of stone pelting were reported from different districts of the Valley including Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian, Baramulla, Sopore, Kupwara and Bandipora.
“After Friday prayers miscreants assembled at various places and tried to disrupt the vehicular movement. At most of the places the miscreants started pelting stones on moving vehicles, police and security force deployments. Many police/security force men have been reported injured during these clashes,” the spokesman said.
Six Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) activists were reported injured during clashes with security forces after authorities disallowed 72 hour sit-in programme of Independent legislator and AIP president Er Rasheed, at Press Enclave Srinagar area.
In the Valley, this was the fifth Friday in a row when the authorities faced a tough challenge to prevent escalation in the situation. Thousands of people took to the streets after the culmination of Friday’s mid-day prayers to stage anti-India and pro-freedom protests in response to the protest call given by separatist groups.
The protests took place despite a police advisory asking parents to counsel their children against indulging in stone-pelting and a request to Imams to desist from delivering “inflammatory speeches”.
Sources said over 130 protesters were injured during clashes with security forces. Curfew and strict restrictions remained in force in Srinagar.
, Anantnag, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Sopore, Trehgam, Kulgam and other areas in the ten districts of the Valley.
The elaborate security arrangements were in place to ensure law and order in view of the separatists’ call for holding protests after Friday prayers at all marketplaces. The authorities were apprehensive of a repeat of the last Friday’s situation when three civilians were killed and nearly 300 injured in clashes across Valley.
Sources said over 60 people were injured, at least eight of them critically when security forces used tear gas and pellets to quell the protests in Beerwah area of central Kashmir’s Budgam. The grievously injured were shifted to Srinagar hospital. Around 40 protesters were reported injured in various areas of Kupwara district. Over two dozen protesters were injured in various areas of north Kashmir’s Sopore town.