Valley tense as teen dies of pellet injuries
TOLL:89 Ruling PDP demands time-bound probe into death
SRINAGAR: Fresh protests erupted in KashmironSaturdayaftera13-yearold boy allegedly died of pellet injuriesandsecurityforcesfiredteargas shellsonthousandsof peopleduring hisfuneralprocessioninthecurfewbound Valley.
Images of mourners huddled together trying to prevent the body, draped in green, from falling from their hands as police rained tear gas shells went viral on social media, evoking anger in the Valley that has remained under lockdown for nearly three months.
The death of Junaid Ahmed, a resident of Saidepora in Srinagar, also brought back into focus the use of pellet guns which have left hundreds of people with eye injuries, some of them losing their sight in both eyes.
Junaid was the 89th person to die in Kashmir since the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8 sparked street protests across the Valley. The Centre responded by sending more security personnel and clamping down on mobile and internet services besides placing vast areas under curfew.
Two policemen have also been killed and hundreds of government forces injured during the protests, the biggest in six years.
The ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, which has so far defended the use of force to control stone-pelting protesters, on Saturday demanded a “timebound probe” into the death of the minorandsaidhewasnotinvolved in protests.
Junaid was allegedly hit by pellets on Friday afternoon when security forces opened fire on protesters in Saidepora.
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