Fresh clashes rock Valley,mob targets Sikh locality

This had never happened in the past 20 years, said Jaspal Singh,an engineer whose house,too,was ransacked. A few cars were also damaged by the mob. 

Locals said trouble began when a group of protesters enforcing the strike stopped a car being driven by a Sikh. They damaged the car following which there was a scuffle,in which one of the protesters was injured. This was followed by the violence at Rangreth.

The authorities reached the area to control the situation. We held a meeting with the Muslim and Sikh residents and later a peace march was taken out by both of the communities, said Budgam Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Rafi. On Thursday,hundreds of Muslim women and men from nearby areas thronged Rangreth and assured the Sikhs of their safety. 

Meanwhile,fresh clashes between protesters and the police broke out in Srinagar and Shopian districts after news spread about the death of a protester. Nisar Ahmad,25,who was injured during protests on Monday,died at a hospital on Thursday morning. At least 42 people were injured in the fresh clashes.