Death toll reaches 111; total shutdown in Valley

A 55-year old man who was critically injured in alleged security force beating in south Kashmir's Pampore last week succumbed to injuries in a hospital in Srinagar on Friday morning, taking the toll in the over four-month-long Kashmir unrest to 111.

Meanwhile, curfew was imposed in areas falling under five police stations of old city, south Kashmir's Pampore, Shopian towns and in all major towns of north Kashmir early on Friday morning.

Police and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force troops have been deployed in strength to maintain law and order.

The family of Ghulam Nabi Mir alleged that he was ruthlessly beaten by the security forces at Namblebal in Pampore town on October 7.

Mir, who was rushed to the Soura medical institute with a critical head injury, succumbed early on Friday morning despite the best efforts of doctors to revive him.

His body was handed over to his relatives and hundreds of people shouting anti-India and pro-freedom slogans joined the funeral, despite imposition of curfew by the authorities to pre-empt trouble.

His body was later buried in the local graveyard in Srinagar.

Police has registered a case in this regard bearing FIR number 177 of 2010 under section 307 of RPC, a police spokesperson said.

A complete shutdown is being observed in capital Srinagar and other major towns of Kashmir on a call given by the hard-line separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani as part of his weekly protest shutdown calendar.