Police fire at Kashmir student protesters

Chief minister meets Modi over deteriorating law and order situation

Police fired into a crowd of stone-throwing students in Indian-administered Kashmir yesterday, as violence in the disputed Himalayan region intensified.

Hundreds of student protesters shouting “We want freedom” and “Go India, go back” fought with government forces after taking to the streets of the main city Srinagar.

Police fired live rounds as well as tear gas and water cannon to try to disperse the protesters as shoppers fled the violence and retailers shut down for the day.

The clashes broke out as colleges in the city reopened following skirmishes last week between students and government forces.

“A few students were detained. Three photojournalists and eight policemen were injured with stones,” a police officer said on condition of anonymity.

Nearly 100 students and around the same number of police were wounded in last week’s disturbances, which prompted authorities to temporarily shut down schools and universities.

The students were angered by a raid earlier this month on a college in the southern district of Pulwama in which police attempted to detain the alleged ringleaders of earlier protests.

Government forces are not supposed to enter college or university premises without special permission.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti yesterday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the worsening law and order situation in the Valley where unrest has put the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) alliance under strain.

“[The prime minister and I] agreed that talks cannot be held until incidents of stone-pelting and retaliation by security forces are stopped. We held discussions on various issues including the agenda of alliance between the PDP-BJP, the recent violence during elections and the volatile security situation in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mehbooba told media after the meeting at PM’s New Delhi residence.

Mehbooba said the approach of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was urgently needed to save Kashmir.

“There was dialogue when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister and L.K. Advani his deputy. They even held dialogue with separatist forces such as Hurriyat Conference and others. We must start from where Vajpayee left,” she stated.

Mehbooba said Vajpayee’s policy was of reconciliation, not confrontation.

“Something happened while Atal Bihari Vajpayee was there. That is the reason, the people of Kashmir still remember him. Due to this policy, there is an alliance between BJP and PDP in Jammu and Kashmir,” the chief minister said.

She said Modi has vowed to work on the lines of Vajpayee.

Genuine grievances

“Everything is possible if atmosphere is conducive and there is no way forward without talks,” she added.

Mehbooba also urged Modi to compensate people of the state for the losses they had suffered due to the Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan.

When asked about the stone pelters, she said youths in the state were incited by separatists.

“Those young men have genuine grievances, which we must address. We need a dialogue. We can’t be confronting our own people for too long,” she said.