Curbs in place, protesters clash with police in Valley

Srinagar : Even as the J-K government put in place restrictions on the movement of people across the Kashmir valley on Friday fearing protests, hundreds of people took to the streets demanding the return of Afzal Guru’s body. At several places, protesters performed symbolic funeral of the Parliament attack convict who was hanged and buried in Delhi’s Tihar Jail last Saturday. More than 15 people were injured in the clashes between the police and the protesters.

Paramilitary forces prevented people from offering Friday prayers at many places. After allowing news channels on Thursday, they were again snapped on Friday. The newspapers in the valley also did not hit the stands.

Heavy contingents of the J-K Police and the CRPF were deployed in Srinagar and in all major towns and villages . The roads were blocked by barricades spools of concertina wire and people were not allowed to move out of their homes. In Sopore and Baramulla, the Army was called in to assist the paramilitary forces.

A protester, Ghulam Nabi Dar, was wounded when he was hit by a bullet fired by security forces at Naidkhai village in north Kashmir. In adjacent Hajin town, around 2,000 people took to streets after Friday prayers demanding return of Afzal’s body.

Curfew was enforced in Sopore and Baramulla. But a large number of people took to the streets at old Baramulla. The protesters later clashed with police. Curfew remained in place in the two towns for the seventh consecutive day. In Handwara and Kupwara towns of north Kashmir, five protesters and two policemen were injured.

In south Kashmir, protesters clashed with security forces at Dooru, Achabal, Lurgam Tral and Ruhmu in Pulwama. Curfew was imposed in Anantnag, Bijbehara, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Pampore towns.

The Friday prayers at Srinagar’s Grand Mosque and many other mosques was not offered as paramilitary forces deployed there did not allow people to come out of houses.