Shopian which has been in the news for last three months after the rape and murder of two young women, was on the boil yet again on Thursday. The trouble in the town, 65 kms from Srinagar erupted following clashes between groups of youth and police on Thursday morning.
Hundreds of people spilled on the town streets and indulged in stone pelting the police which was positioned in strength for the first time in three months as the four police officers had to be produced before the chief judicial magistrate for extension of their judicial remand.
As the police-protestor clashes intensified, the cops resorted to firing in air, teargas shells and baton charges.Nearly a dozen people including five cops are reported to have suffered injuries in the clashes. A seriously injured policeman was shifted to Srinagar for specialized treatment.The situation in the town is stated to be tense.
The chief judicial magistrate of Shopian extended the judicial remand of the four police officers accused of 'destruction of evidence' and dereliction of duty' by fifteen more days.The state high court which heard the bail application of the accused police officers on Thursday will continue the hearing on Friday and possibly announce its decision.
The bail application of the four officers including the then district police chief of Shopian, Javed Iqbal Mattoo, was filed by the family members of the accused officers after the district and sessions judge Shopian rejected it earlier this month.
