Fresh clashes in Valley; Amarnath yatra resumes

Fresh clashes broke out in curfew-bound Kashmir Valley on Saturday in which 30 persons, including 15 security personnel were injured, as protests against the Ramban killings on Thursday continued in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Amarnath yatra from Jammu, meanwhile, resumed on Saturday evening after it was halted for two days in the wake of the protests and curfew, police said.

"A fresh batch of 1,834 pilgrims, including 45 saints, left for the Valley from Jammu base camp at 5.35 pm," a police official in Jammu said.

Curfew was lifted in Ramban district but remained in force for the second day today in all major towns of Kashmir, as authorities kept a close watch on the situation after the killing of four people in BSF firing on Thursday in Gool area in Ramban district.

The clashes between protestors and security forces in the Valley were reported at a dozen places in Bandipora and Baramulla in north Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam in south and Budgam in central Kashmir, officials said.

Police used teargas shells, pellet guns, rubber bullets and batons to chase away the stone-pelting protestors, they said, adding, 32 persons including 15 police and CRPF personnel were injured in the clashes.

A police spokesman, however, put the number of those injured in the clashes at 17--15 securitymen and two civilians -- and said all of them are stable.

In Friday’s protests against the Ramban killings, 40 people, including 19 security personnel, were injured in the state in clashes, stone-pelting and canecharge.

Slogan-shouting protestors blocked the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at Banihal belt and sat on a dharna demanding the arrest of the people involved in the firing incident. Fresh protests also broke out in Gool after the prayers.

The Highway was reopened to traffic after a two-day closure over tensions in Ramban district, police said.

"The highway has been reopened to vehicular traffic, which is now plying smoothly," SSP (National Highway), Virender Kumar said.

The SSP, however, added that some disruption in traffic movement was reported in Banihal belt due to protests there.

The authorities are monitoring the situation round-the-clock and additional forces have been deployed in sensitive areas of the Jammu region, a police spokesman said.