Kashmir tense, 30 injured in fresh violence

J& K separatists call for shutdown

Kashmir was tense on Monday amid security clampdown being enforced in sensitive parts of the Valley, including summer capital Srinagar and a shutdown called by separatists elsewhere over Sunday’s killings.

More than thirty people were injured in fresh clashes in southern Shopian where twelve militants had been gunned down by security forces in two separate encounters on Sunday. Three soldiers also laid down their lives while fighting militants holed up in private houses in Dragad and Kachdoora villages of the district. One militant was killed in neighbouring Anantnag.

Four civilians also died, three of them in security forces firing on protesters and stone- pelting mobs. One resident was caught in cross fire between the militants and security forces earlier, raising the death toll to 20. His family had alleged that he was used as a “human shield’ by troops.

Reports from Shopian said that several protesters sustained injuries in shotgun pellet firing by the security forces in the town’s Gol Chowk area on Monday. The police said that surging crowds resorted to heavy stonepelting on security forces “compelling them to use force”.

The paramilitary forces along with J& K police personnel were fanned out overnight to enforce curfew or curfew like restrictions in sensitive parts of Srinagar, southern Kulgam town and some other parts o the restive Valley.

They had laid steel barricades and coiled razor wire on roads and intersections to cut off neighbourhood in anticipation of widespread protests. At places in Srinagar ‘ bunker vehicles’ of the security forces were seen placed in the middle of roads to block access to the centre square of the city.