Post-Eid, Kashmir reels under curfew

Two youth were critically injured on Sunday as mobs defied curfew and attacked the home of the state education minister in south Kashmir Anantnag district. Meanwhile 34-year old Mohammad Ashraf Mir who was critically wounded in police firing in Palhallan town on the Srinagar Muzaffarabad road on September 6 succumbed to injuries in the Soura medical institute this afternoon.

Mir, who was put on life support in the hospital, had received a critical bullet wound in his neck and doctors had tried their best to revive him.

Four persons including three teenagers were killed and 15 others wounded when police opened fire to quell a stone pelting mob which hurled stones at the passing heavily escorted motorcade of the Kashmir zone inspector general of police S M Sahai.

Mir's death took the death toll in the un-relenting Kashmir unrest to 71 since June 11 when a 17-year old teenager Tufail Ahmad Mattoo was killed after being hit by a tear smoke shell on his head. A day after massive pro-independence demonstrations rocked summer capital, an indefinite curfew was imposed in Srinagar and other towns and heavy deployments of police and paramilitary, central reserve police force (CRPF) were moved to enforce it.

No movement was being allowed in capital Srinagar where mobs, however, defied strict curfew restrictions and clashed with security forces in some areas. Security forces responded by firing warning shots, teargas and resorted to repeated baton charges to disperse the slogan shouting curfew violators.

A youth, Sameer Ahmad Bhat was critically wounded when a police fired teargas canister hit him directly on his head and was evacuated to Soura medical institute for specialized treatment.

A senior state government officer said curfew had to be imposed as a precautionary measure following Saturday's massive pro-independence rallies in capital Srinagar and the accompanying violence.

Police has registered FIR in a local police station against the moderate All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq for 'inciting violence' in capitalSrinagar after the Eid prayers yesterday.

An FIR has also been registered against the general secretary of the hardline separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference Masarat Alam Bhat in Nageen police station in capital city for inciting violence in the Hazratbal shrine where mobs torched a police barrack and a vehicle.

Police and paramilitary troopers in full riot gear are patrolling the capital city streets which have been blocked with barricades and coils of razor fitted wire.

In south Kashmir Anantnag, protestors attacked the home of the state education minister, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed with rocks and stones. Security forces opened fire to quell the protestors resulting in critical bullet injury to a youth, Sameer Ahmad Malik who was evacuated to hospital for treatment. The mobs damaged a portion of the wall and the main entrance to his house.

Reports of stone pelting have come have also come in from south Kashmir towns of Pampore, Bejibehara, Khanabal and Lethpora and north Kashmir towns of Sopore and Baramulla. At Lethpora security forces used tear smoke and repeated baton charges to disperse a stone pelting mob which blocked the Srinagar- Jammu national highway.

Eight policemen were injured in security force-protestor clashes in north Kashmir Baramulla town this afternoon.