Bloody Sunday leaves Valley on the edge
SRINAGAR: Separatists called for a complete shutdown on Monday to protest the killing of 12 militants and four civilians and injuries to over 50 protesters in one of the bloodiest days in the Valley in recent months on Sunday.
Three soldiers were also killed in the three separate encounters in south Kashmir.
“The joint resistance leadership calls for a shutdown tomorrow (Monday) against the killings and atrocities on people in south Kashmir. Hundreds have been injured in pellet and bullet firing,” said Hurriyat spokesperson GA Gulzar.
Eyewitnesses said that protesters pelted stones around the sites of encounter at Dragad and Kachdoora in Shopian district. They also alleged that security forces opened fire and lobbed tear-gas shells at the funeral of one of the slain militants, Zubair Turray of the Hizbul Mujahideen, in Shopian town.
“Thousands of people had come for the funeral but they ran for their lives after tear-gas shells were lobbed and bullets were fired,” an eyewitness said.
The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police chief said that there was stone pelting. “It’s unfortunate that stone pelting around encounter site cost 4 civilian deaths,” he tweeted.
Data from Srinagar’s two major hospitals showed that 42 people — 41 with pellet injuries and one with bullet in his abdomen — were admitted to the one hospital while eight people — six with bullet injuries, one with pellets in his chest and one with a superficial injury — were admitted to the other.
Most of the pellet victims have “perforating injuries”, doctors said, adding that most of the injured are in their 20s.
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The joint resistance leadership calls for a shutdown tomorrow (Monday) against the killings and atrocities on people in south Kashmir. Hundreds have been injured in pellet and bullet firing
GA GULZAR, Hurriyat spokesperson
Vaid, however, said that 25 people had received pellet injuries while six had received bullet injuries. He added that the injured were being treated and were stable.
As news of the killings spread across the Valley by afternoon, there were shutdowns and protests in several parts of the region.
A police spokesperson in a statement on Sunday evening asked citizens not to fall prey to rumours that were intended to disturb peace. “J&K Police seeks your cooperation for maintaining order,” he said.
Authorities also clamped down by suspending high-speed mobile internet in many sensitive parts of the Valley, including Srinagar.
Many higher education institutes, including Kashmir University and the Central University of Kashmir, have postponed their examinations scheduled for Monday and suspended classes in view of the unrest.
SEPARATISTS UNDER HOUSE ARREST
As a preventive measure, officials placed senior separatist leaders, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik of the Hurriyat, under house arrest.