SRINAGAR: A youth was killed in fresh firing of security forces on Tuesday while another succumbed to injuries, taking the death toll of people killed in ongoing unrest in Kashmir triggered by killing of 21-year-old Hizbul commander Burhan Wani to 76.
20-year-old Naseer Ahmad Dar son of Ghulam Hassan Dar was killed and many others including a woman injured when security forces fired on protestors in Seer Hamdan village of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district today.
The injured woman identified as Jameela has been referred to Srinagar hospital, where doctors have termed her condition as critical.
Earlier, last evening, 17-year-old youth identified as Musaib Majeed Nago of Sonarwari village in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district, had succumbed to injuries in a Srinagar hospital.
He was hit by pellets on his head in security forces firing at Wadoora, Sopore in Baramulla on Sunday (September 4).
With the two deaths, the death toll of people killed in ongoing unrest in the Valley triggered by killing of Burhan Wani has risen to 76. Among the dead include two police men.
Over 10,000 people have also been injured in clashes between security personnel and youth during protests in Valley in last 60 days.
The restrictions and shutdown remained in force for the 60th consecutive day today.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Khan, said curfew was not imposed in any part of Kashmir today though restrictions remain in force in five old city Police Stations of Srinagar.
People at many places in Srinagar and other parts of Valley staged protest rallies during which they chanted pro-freedom and anti-India slogans.
At many places including downtown Srinagar, North and South Kashmir, youth took to roads. They clashed with police and paramilitary personnel, who fired tear smoke shells and pellets and resorted to heavy baton charge to disperse the youth, who pelted stones on them. The clashes continued for some time during which dozens of people sustained injuries, many of them hit by pellets.
A police spokesman said few incidents of stone pelting were reported from some areas of Srinagar, Anantnag in South Kashmir and Sopore and Handwara in North Kashmir.
“At these places, miscreants assembled on the roads and attempted to disturb the normal traffic and movement of people by pelting stones on vehicles, police and the security deployments,” he said.
Meanwhile, separatists have extended the strike call upto September 16.
Separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik issued a joint statement today and issued a “new protest calendar” and extended the strike call upto September 16.
In the new “protest calendar”, they have not announced any break in shutdown on Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Azha, which will be celebrated on September 13.
They have called for “UN March” on September 13 for submitting a memorandum to UN observers ahead of start of 71st Session of UN General Assembly.
“On September 14 (2nd Eid day), people have been asked to occupy highways and inter-district roads. People were also asked to offer afternoon (Zuhar) prayers on roads.
It will be for the first time that strike will be in force on Eid in Kashmir.