SRINAGAR: Widespread violence across Kashmir valley did not show any letup in the volatile situation which erupted in the wake of alleged rape of two young women in south Kashmir Shopian town last week. Police had to fire rubber bullets to control an unruly mob in Srinagar’s Batmallo area.

Government security forces also used batons at protesters and as many as 30 people were injured, including five who were hospitalized after being shot in Srinagar, a police officer said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

Authorities had banned assembly in the city and sealed off residential areas to prevent people from leaving their homes, said B. Srinivas, a top police officer, amid a series of mass demonstrations against the deaths of the two women. Their bodies were found in a stream on Saturday in Shopian, 60 kilometers south of Srinagar.

In the Shopian town, where the two women, 22-year-old Neelofar Jan and 17-year-old Asiya Jan were allegedly raped and murdered by the security forces, authorities enforced strict restrictions preventing all vehicular and pedestrian movement. More than 200 people have been injured in clashes between government forces and angry protesters since Saturday, when police recovered the bodies of the two were found.

Anticipating protests and violence, the authorities had clamped an undeclared curfew in the city which was, however, defied by angry mobs at more a dozen places including the city center, Lal Chowk.

For the whole day police and paramilitary, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troops were engaged in dingdong battles with the young stone pelting mobs. The police and CRPF used tear smoke shells and baton charges to disperse the protesters who only regrouped for fresh clashes.

The protest strike called by the senior hard-line separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was total in other major and minor towns of the valley where from also reports of clashes between protesters and police have come in.

In a statement Geelani said, “honor is the biggest treasure of a nation and when it is violated we cannot remain mute spectators.” In Lal Chowk, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti led a protest march proceeding toward the civil line areas, where she was intercepted by the security forces and taken into preventive custody along with other leaders of her party.

Slogans for repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to the security forces and demanding punishment for those involved in the Shopian incident were raised by the PDP activists during their protest march

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s announcement of judicial inquiry into the incident seemingly had no positive impact as it didn’t help in defusing the situation here.

The PDP has on the contrary accused him of “pre-judging the enquiry by ruling out rape and murder” which he said at his press conference yesterday.

The party also blamed him of being “insensitive” as he returned to Srinagar three days after the incident. In a statement, Mehbooba said, “What will the inquiring judge find out when the chief minister categorically rules out any foul play?”