Minutes after Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh landed Kashmir’s Summer Capital for a two-day visit, a youth was killed while 15 others got injured in Pulwama during the clashes between youth and forces in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday, taking the death toll to 69.An 18-year-old boy identified as Amir Gul Mir, son of Ghulam Muhammad Mir of Ratnipora Pulwama was killed after he sustained pellet injuries in a clash between protesters and forces in Pinglina village of Pulwama.Witnesses said that Amir was shifted to SMHS hospital in Srinagar for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries, taking the death toll in current unrest 69 including two cops.Notably, Amir had recently been discharged from a hospital where he was treated for injuries sustained after forces allegedly opened fire on a group of protesters near an encounter site on February 14 this year, in Kakapora area of Pulwama district.
The doctors in SMHS hospital had then informed KNS correspondent that “We have removed Amir’s spleen as it had ruptured due to a tear gas shell hitting his abdomen, and penetrated into the spleen.”On that day, February 14, 2016, an encounter ensued between forces and militants in nearby Lelhaar area. Two youths: an MA Urdu student, Shaista and an engineering student at IUST, Danish, were killed by forces.“Amir is stable but he will be prone to infections. He has to take extra-care in his life not to get infected,” the doctors had added.The killing of Pulwama youth took place on the day when Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s two-day visit to Kashmir commenced.Singh is on visit to Valley to review the security situation and to hold talks with civil society members as well as politicians of Jammu and Kashmir.Meanwhile, in a separate incident, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and Station House Officer (SHO) among 15 people got injured in a grenade blast near Degree College Pulwama, late afternoon.
Sources said that the injured persons were later shifted to the hospital for treatment.Meanwhile, the situation in Srinagar took an ugly turn again after forces thrashed three motorcycle-borne youths in downtown Srinagar.Witnesses said that people took to streets and staged massive protests against the forces as the news spread around in the area.“Forces used teargas canisters to disperse the protesters. Two of the injured youth sustained injuries and were shifted to SMHS hospital for treatment,” they said.Reports said that in nthe wee hours of this morning, the forces resorted to aerial firing in Batamaloo area of the Srinagar.Reports quoting locals said that people were busy with buying eatables during which the forces resorted to arial firing to disperse the people in the locality.However, no injury was reported during the incident.
Meanwhile, according to a statement issued by the Zonal Police Headquarters, Kashmir, eight incidents of stone pelting were reported from Pulwama, Budgam, Srinagar, Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora.The statement said during stone pelting near Degree College Pulwama, militants hiding in the mob fired and hurled two grenades on the deployment resulting in injuries to 17 police and CRPF personnel and some civilians. “The injured include CO 183 Bn CRPF, ASP Pulwama, DySP Pulwama and SHO Pulwama,” the statement added.It further reads that at Pinglina, Pulwama miscreants assembled on road and started heavy stone pelting on the police and SF deployment. In order to clear the road and chase the miscreants, Police/Security forces were compelled to use some force, which caused injuries to few miscreants. “One of them identified as Amir Gul Mir son of Ghulam Mohammad Mir resident of Ratnipora succumbed to his injuries, the statement said. In this incident a number of police and security forces personnel were also injured,” the statement added.It said that except for these incidents, the overall situation across the valley remained under control till filing of this report. “Apart from some police stations of Srinagar and town Anantnag there was increased movement of traffic on roads in rest of the valley,” the statement added. (KNS)