SRINAGAR, 12 September 2007 — Over two dozen civilians and nine cops including a senior police officer were wounded when protesters alleging fake encounter killing of a youth clashed with the police in north Kashmir’s Rafiabad area yesterday.
Angry protesters refusing to bury Mohammad Ramzan Shah, a graduation student, whose body was handed over to relatives yesterday by the security forces, pelted stones and shouted anti-government slogans.
“Police used batons and burst tear smoke shells to control the unruly demonstrators,” a senior police officer said here.
One additional superintendent of police and nine constables were wounded in the clashes in which over two dozen civilians also sustained injuries.
The protesters alleged that Ramzan, a student of Sopore degree college had visited Mawar village in the border district of Kupwara to call on his aunt there when the security forces picked him up on Sunday and later killed him in a fake encounter dubbing him a terrorist.
Police, however, said in a joint operation carried out by them and the troops of Rashtriya Rifles two militants identified as Mohammad Ramzan Shah and Abu Hamza alias Imran of Pakistan were killed. Police also claimed to have recovered arms and ammunition from the slain persons. The relatives of the slain student said they were handed the dead body of Ramzan on Monday by the police, a day after he had gone to visit his aunt.
Relatives maintained that the slain youth had nothing to do with violence and refused to bury his body unless the killers of the youth were punished.
