Amid complete shutdown in several South Kashmir areas, the clashes and protests erupted on Wednesday at a few places against the civilian killing in Shopian district on Tuesday evening.Adil Farooq Magray, a student, was hit by a bullet in his chest after forces opened fire to disperse protesters who were pelting stones on them during a cordon and search operation in Ganawpora village of Shopian district.The students at Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) protested on Srinagar-Jammu highway at Awantipora.Witnesses told KNS that the students assembled outside the campus and started pelting stones on the forces, who in return fired tear smoke shells to disperse them.The clashes also disrupted the traffic vehicular movement o the highway for some time.Meanwhile, the students of Government Degree College Handwara also took to streets and clashed with the forces today.
The students staged massive protests against Adil’s killing and chanted pro-freedom slogans.Forces fired tear gas canisters to the youth who were pelting stone on them.Meanwhile, the students of Government Boys Higher Secondary School Pampore and Government Girls Higher Secondary School Pampore protested at Namlabal Pampore against Adil’s killing.The students according to the reports later pelted stones on forces who were deployed in the area.Besides student protests, intense clashes erupted between protesting youth and forces in Pulwama town amidst complete shutdown in the area.Youth took to streets amid pro-freedom sloganeering and started throwing stones on police and paramilitary troopers deployed in the town.The forces resorted to tear gas canisters to disperse the youth.Meanwhile, a complete shutdown was observed in several South Kashmir district including Pulwama, Shopian and others.
All the shops and other business establishments remained closed while the vehicular movement was also thin on the roads.Meanwhile, the authorities in the IUST have decided to suspend the class work on Thursday and Friday at the institution in the wake of today’s protest. “Class work was normally going on in morning but later we had to call off the class work in the second half following the student clashes with police,” they informed, adding that there will be no class work for students for next two days at the university.Meanwhile Police in a statement to KNS said that today students of IUST Awantipora and students of Higher Secondary School Pampore both girls and boys protested and indulged in stone pelting on the forces. They also blocked National Highway. In order to maintain peace and tranquility security forces deployed in the area dispersed them with maximum restrain.Large number of Police personnel received injuries due to heavy stone pelting by the students in Namblabal Pampore and University Road Awantipora. The situation was brought under control and the National Highway was kept through for vehicular movement. (KNS)