SRINAGAR: One person was killed and more than 58 others including 20 cops wounded in daylong widespread violent protests against the allotment of forestland to Sri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB).
One person, who was critically injured in the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force firing on protesters demanding revocation of the allotment order, succumbed to his injuries in the Soura Medical Institute.
Three others injured in the firing are undergoing treatment in the hospital and condition of one is stated to be serious. The body of Feroze Ahmad was handed over to his relatives by the police. Hundreds of mourners shouting anti-government and anti-SASB slogans attended his funeral prayers in the Nowhatta area of old city and later carried his body in a procession for burial at the martyr’s graveyard in Eidgah. The death of Feroze fueled moreanger, leading to widespread protests.
Stone-pelting mobs stopped traffic and forced closure on businesses and educational institutions throughout the old city area. Slogan shouting youth came out on the streets in Nowhatta, Gojiwara, Hawal, Lal Bazzar, Soura, Chotta Bazzar, Karan Nagar, Safa Kadal, Maisuma and other city areas yesterday morning and shouted slogans against the allotment of land to SASB.
In the fierce clashes between protesters and security forces more than two dozen persons including policemen were wounded in Srinagar, while dozens others were taken into custody. Police and paramilitary forces responded by repeated baton charge and firing tear smoke shells.
Two senior separatist leaders including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Shabir Shah were placed under house arrest to prevent their participation in yesterday’s protests. Geelani accused the Indian government of planning to build Hindu settlements in India’s only Muslim majority state to change the demographic balance in the region. He led Monday’s protest.
Ganderbal was the worst hit as protesters damaged the local town hall building, adjacent cafeteria and a bank branch even as police fired at the protesters and shelled tear smoke besides using batons to disperse the protesters who continued to regroup throughout the day. The house of the state forest minister was also attacked by the protesters in Lar village of the same district yesterday afternoon.
