In chaotic scenes in Srinagar an hour before midnight Wednesday, people, responding to calls made over loudspeakers of mosques, poured into the streets in protest after security forces allegedly barged into some houses in downtown localities and assaulted people.

There was confusion all around with hundreds packing the streets and chanting slogans. There were unconfirmed reports that CRPF personnel had entered homes in Rozabal, Safakdal, Kamangarpora and Zaina Kadal — the security forces are already under fire for the manner in which protestors have been dealt with in the last three days.

As the authorities tried to persuade people to return to their homes, Governor N N Vohra told The Indian Express: “We have sought the immediate replacement of the Inspector General of CRPF. We are trying our level best to calm people. It is in nobody’s interest”.

The police, however, said that apart from one incident in the evening they did not have reports of security forces breaking into homes. “We know of one such incident. The other incidents are not true,” said Srinagar SSP Syed Ahfad-ul-Mujtaba.

Security forces were trying to avoid moving into the city to break up the protests. “We do not want to create a scene. We will let them stay out,” a senior police officer told The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, the spat between India and Pakistan over the J&K situation got uglier today after New Delhi issued its third statement in a week, describing Islamabad’s call for international involvement in Kashmir as “gratuitous and illegal”. The Ministry of External Affairs said the remarks by Pakistan’s leaders and Foreign office spokesmen were “objectionable” and “factually wrong”.

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