NEW DELHI: At least four protestors have been injured in firing by the authorities in Srinagar since Monday, TNIE can confirm, with the international media reporting the death of another youth due to drowning because of violence. It was on Monday that Home Minister Amit Shah disclosed the decision to revoke J&K’s special status and its bifurcation.
A report accessed by TNIE from the Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar lists four patients admitted with firearm injuries, one on Monday (Malla Threen Altaf, 15) and three on Tuesday (Burhan, 16; Khan Asrar, 18; and Zahoor Ahmad Yatoo, 40).
In Srinagar’s Palpora area, Osaib Altaf (17) died of drowning in the Jhelum after being chased by CRPF personnel, the Huffington Post reported. The report quoting family members of the victim said, Altaf had gone out with a group of friends to play cricket at a local playground on Monday, when they were suddenly cornered by CRPF personnel near a footbridge. Attempts to independently verify it proved futile because of the complete information blackout in J&K.
According to HuffPost, 13 other people had undergone treatment for pellet injuries at the Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar.
News agency AFP quoted a police official to confirm the death of a protestor. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said in one incident a youth being chased by police “jumped into the Jhelum River and died”. A source told AFP that at least six persons have been admitted to hospital in Srinagar with gunshot wounds and other injuries from protests. A state government official told this newspaper he, too, had heard of a death of a young boy after being harassed by security forces.
Stone attack incidents in the Valley
The Ministry of Home Affairs said there was no confirmation of any death. Also, CRPF spokesman Mosses Dinakaran denied reports of violence in the Valley.
But sources in the government said incidents of stone-throwing and civilians getting injured during protests have been reported from several parts from North and South Kashmir