A teenage youth has been killed in Natsuna village in Kupwara district on Friday afternoon, while three more have been referred to Srinagar hospital.BMO Kupwara Dr Fareed told KNS that the youth identified as Arif Ahmad Dar son of Ghulam Mohammad Dar of Awoora, Kupwara died in the hospital.“Arif had received bullets in the upper part of the legs,” Dr Fareed said.He said that three other injured have been referred to SMHS in Srinagar. “They too have received bullets in legs and all of them are stable,” he said.Two of the injured have been identified as Amir Ahmad Sheikh of Nutnussa, Danish Ahmad Sheikh of Wadipora.Witnesses said that protests were going on in the village against the killings of four civilians in the district this week, and reportedly army fired in the protesters in which the youth was killed, while three others were injured.
Meanwhile, normal life in parts of Srinagar and in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district remained paralyzed due to the curfew imposed by the authorities to thwart any possible protests called by the separatist’s camp against the four civilian killings in Handwara.The authorities had said that restrictions will be imposed for the third consecutive day on Friday in the areas falling under the jurisdiction of seven police stations of Srinagar city.The police station where restrictions were imposed includes Rainawari, Khanyar, Nowhatta, M.R.Gunj, Safa Kadal, Kralkhud and Maisuma.Curfew also continued to remain in force in Handwara, Langate and Kupwara towns of Kupwara district and Pulwama town in south Kashmir.A heavy deployment of police and paramilitary CRPF were deployed on the roads in sensitive areas and blocked all the roads with barricades and concertina wires to curtail pedestrian and vehicular movement in these areas.In old city Srinagar, clashes erupted between youth and forces in Habba Kadal area while the photojournalists also accused that the forces didn’t allow them to cover the clashes in the area.“Whenever clashes erupt in Habba Kadal area, the authorities didn’t allow us to cover the clashes,” a group of photojournalists told KNS.
Clashes erupted between youth and forces in Bandey Mohalla, a native village of Nayeem Qadir Bhat, a famous cricketer who was killed by forces during protests against alleged molestation of a girl by an army man.Locals alleged that during the clashes between youth and forces in the area, forces ransacked the window panes of their houses.SP Handwara, Ghulam Jeelani Wani told KNS that the minor clashes erupted in the area while the overall situation remained under control throughout the day.Meanwhile, Hurriyat leaders across the Valley staged protest against the Kupwara killings while several among them were detained by the police.Hurriyat (G) and Democratic Political Movement (DPM) took out a protest rally at Hyderpora during which police disbursed to tear smoke shells to disperse the protesters.Hurriyat (M) also staged protest at Dargah against the Kupwara killings. The activists of the amalgam chanted pro-freedom slogans and termed the killings as worst kind of state terrorism.Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) also staged protest rally at Abi Guzar, Srinagar against Kupwara Killings.
JKLF leaders Mushtaq Ajmal, Sheikh Abdul Rashid, Siraj u Din Mir (Dawood) along with dozens of the amalgam activists were detained by police.Amalgam spokesman in a statement issued to KNS said that protest rally was taken out despite heavy restriction, Curfew and other oppressive measures.Protests after Friday prayers erupted in several parts of Kashmir. The areas include Budgam, Sarai Bala, Kangan, Bandipora, Hajin etc.The protest call was given by all the factions of Hurriyat including Hurriyat (G) leader, Syed Ali Geelani, Hurriyat (M) chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, JKLF chief, Muhammad Yasin Malik and other pro-freedom leaders. Meanwhile, mobile and internet services remained suspended for the second consecutive day in Kashmir from Wednesday evening. The suspension of the service was only in north Kashmir, but now it is all across the Valley. (KNS)