KL News
Srinagar
Peaceful protests were held in Qazigund, Verinag, Doru and Laru Kulgam in south Kashmir and Tangmarag of north Kashmir while as protests took ugly turn in Kunzar and Shopian resulting into the injuries to at least two including a woman who was hit by a tear smoke shell.
The ‘Mutahida Majlis-e-Mashawrat’ (MMM) had called for protests after Friday prayers to press for the return of the mortal remains of Afzal Guru who was hanged and buried in Tihar jail Delhi on February 9. Administration has put in place strict restrictions across the valley to prevent the protests.
Despite restrictions people in Qazigund, Duro and Verinag shouted anti India and pro freedom slogans for some time and later on dispersed peacefully. Same kind of protest was held in Tangmarag in the north Kashmir. Police sources confirmed the peaceful protest after Friday prayers in Tangmarag.
They however, added that the protest took an ugly turn at Kunzar some six KMs away from Tangmarag. The heavy contingent of police and CRPF used tear smoke shells to disperse the protesters who retaliated by pelting stones. Police sources however, said that the protesters started pelting stones on the forces who retaliated by cane charging.
The locals alleged that forces targeted a woman who was sitting outside her house by a tear gas shell and she was injured.
In the north town of Shopian, angry youth defied curfew orders and pelted stones on forces in Bonegam chowk before the Friday prayers and the ding don battles continued for a couple of hours during which police and CRPF used tear smoke shells. Later after the prayers the protests spread up to Gagren area of the town. The clashes in Gagren were much severer and forces used dozens of tear gas shells which created havoc in the area. A youth namely Tariq Ahmad Mir son of Ghulam Hassan Mir resident of Gagren was injured by a shell. “Tariq could not be moved towards the district hospital due to strict curfew in place so we shifted him to nearby health centre of Vehil,” informed a local.
