Day 61:Man dies of cardiac arrest in Kulgam
JNV school buildings gutted in fire
5 Dariya News
Srinagar 07-Sep-2016
Clashes, protests and shutdown continued for the consecutive 61st day across Kashmir Valley. The Valley has been witnessing unprecedented pro-freedom protests since July 8 the day when Hizb poster boy Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with government forces. Seventy-seven people including two cops have been killed so far while more than 10,000 people mostly by pellets have been wounded, some of them blinded while some critical in different Kashmir hospitals.Srinagar city witnessed some movement of vehicles on the roads during wee hours, however, the movement became skeletal as the day passed by. Protest march was carried out in Padshahi-Bagh area against the nocturnal raids and subsequent arrests of five youth from the area. The area also witnessed nocturnal pro-freedom protests while a large number of people mostly women to roads and organized a massive pro-freedom protest. They alleged that during nocturnal raid people especially women were beaten up by armed forces while houses were ransacked. “The forces were in plain clothes who unleashed a reign of terror in the area,” the protesters told news agency CNS and identified the arrested youth as Shabir Ahmed Khan, Imtiyaz Ahmed Khan, Ashiq Bashir Dar, Naseer Ahmed Wani and Reyaz Ahmed.Reports coming from Burzhama Srinagar said that a massive pro-freedom rally was held in the area.Reports said that people from Batpora, Burzhama, Danihama, Theed, Harwan, Khimber, Chatterhama and other villages attended the rally.
Massive stone-pelting incidents were reported from Batamaloo area of Srinagar city where people accused government forces of atrocities.Three persons, including a woman, sustained minor injuries during clashes with government forces in Fatehpora area of central Kashmir's Ganderbal district. Eyewitnesses and reports said that forces attacked a peaceful protest rally, triggering clashes. Three persons, including a woman, sustained injuries in clashes, they said, adding that the injured were taken to District hospital Ganderbal for medical aid.At least eight persons were injured in clashes in Dardsun village of Kupwara in north Kashmir on Wednesday. Health sources said that three among the injured four were referred to Srinagar for specialized treatment. The rest of the injured were being treated at District Hospital Kupwara, they said.Reports from North Kashmir’s Pulwama district said that scores of protesters were injured in clashes with government forces in Murran area on Wednesday morning. Witnesses and reports said that over 30 injured persons were being treated at Rahmoo hospital. Two were referred to Srinagar for advanced treatment, health sources said.Witnesses said that clashes broke out after forces fired pellets and teargas shells to foil “Murran chalo” called by the locals.Police aslo foil pro-freedom rally in South Kashmir’s Kulgam. Reports said that in a bid to foil ‘Marhama Chalo’ government forces sealed the roads and raided the venue (JNV School Ground) where they vandalized the stage and sound system.
Locals alleged that CRPF personnel after resorting to shelling, set two school buildings of Jawahar Navodya Vidalaya (JNV) on fire. “They lobbed tear-smoke shells and suddenly the school building went into flames,” the locals told news agency CNS adding that some of the school vehicles too were gutted in the fire.People from different hamlets of Kulgam including Chehlan, Achthal, Ponipora clashed with government forces near Chawalgam Rest House. Witnesses said that forces fired pellets and tear-smoke shells to disperse the rock-throwing people. The clashes according to witnesses left over a dozen people wounded. Many people were injured when clashes broke out at Kulgam Hospital road. A local alleged the government forces hit his three-wheeler with a tear-smoke shell, causing damage to it. “Forces used PAVA shells outside Kulgam hospital that caused enormous problems to patients inside the hospital,” the locals said.Reports said that an octogenarian whom locals identified as Abdul Gani Wani son of Muhammad Sultan a resident of Chowlgam died due to cardiac arrest after the stone-pelting and intense tear-smoke shelling in the area. Locals claimed that the elderly person was killed due to sound of intense shelling, a charge refuted by police. Agitated protesters set ablaze old Rest House building at Chowalgam.Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami senior CPI (M) leader and MLA Kulgam expressed grief and shock over the death of Wani. He said that the sad situation prevailing in the valley has taken away many precious lives. “This spree of killings and destruction must be stopped and the law enforcing agencies made accountable,” he said.
At Chehlan Kulgam, locals alleged that forces caused massive damage to property. Reports said that more than 75 persons were wounded during the day long clashes in the district. At least four persons were injured in clashes that erupted between protestors and government forces in south Kashmir's Anantnag district. Witnesses said that residents of Beowoora, in Anantnag district had arranged a freedom rally in their locality however forces vandalized the venue resulting in clashes which spread to an adjacent village, Hugam. At least four persons sustained injuries when government forces fired pellets and tear smoke shells to chase away protestors, they said.The government forces barged into the house of a policeman and ransacked it completely at Hugam. The mother of the policeman told CNS that the armed men including CRPF and SOG personnel broke our doors and windows, damaged electric appliances and other items. She said that they set fire the dry grass that was present in the two rooms of the store. “They created havoc in the area and damaged all the parked vehicles,” she said adding her frightened daughter who recently delivered a baby was hit by a stone, thrown by these men in uniform.
Eyewitnesses said that thousands of people on Wednesday participated in a pro-freedom rally in Kumdalan village of south Kashmir's Shopian district. Witnesses added that people organized the rally in a government school ground. The speakers according to reports appealed to the participants to exhibit steadfastness during the ongoing uprising and asked them to care for the needy.A spokesman of the Zonal Police Headquarters Kashmir today said that barring some stray stone pelting incidents, the overall situation remained under control throughout the valley till filing of this report.“Four incidents of stone pelting were reported from Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Kupwara,” he said adding at these places, miscreants assembled on the roads and attempted to disturb the normal traffic and movement of people by pelting stones on vehicles, police and security force deployments.He said at Kulgam about miscreants 300 assembled at Mirhama and pelted stones on police and security force deployments and set ablaze Jawahar Navodaya Vidyala School which suffered damages. “Miscreants also hurled a petrol bomb on State Rest House, Chawalgam which resulted in fire and partial damages to the rest house,” he said and added that the miscreants also pelted stones on the police and security forces at this place. (CNS)