Protests rock Valley,Mehbooba goes to Shopian

Groups of protesters,demanding justice for the murdered women,defied police restrictions to demonstrate on the streets. At several places they hurled stones at the police,who in turn,resorted to caning and firing teargas shells to disperse the violent mobs.

At Batamaloo,protesters set a security force bunker on fire after police stopped them from marching to Lal Chowk.

The police,meanwhile,arrested Geelani,whose organisation extended the strike by two more days on Wednesday,from his house.

In Shopian,protesters turned their anger towards opposition PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and her party legislators,who visited the family of the two women in the town on Wednesday.

The situation turned tense when Mehbooba came out of the house and tried to board her bullet proof car. Angry protesters asked her to accompany them to the police station as the police had not registered a murder and rape case.

Mehbooba then marched along with the hundreds of men and women though the main market up to the police station. Sources said Mehbooba was also asked by the protesters to resign from the Assembly and only then demand punishment to the culprits. Mehbooba tried to address the gathering but the protesters did not allow her to speak.

Sources said when Mehbooba and other legislators entered the police station,the waiting policemen fired tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Later,clashes broke between the ‘pro- freedom’ protesters and the police in the town in which nearly a dozen men were injured. The police said some vehicles were also damaged. With heavy security cover,Mehbooba and her party leaders were later escorted out of the district.

Clashes between the police and protesters were also reported in old town Baramulla and at some places in Sopore,in which nearly a dozen people were injured.

Meanwhile,the inquiry commission headed by Justice (retd) Muzaffer Jan,probing the death of the two women,has sought statements from all aggrieved individuals and groups having knowledge of facts and circumstances relating to the deaths on June 8.