The schoolboy, Zahid Farooq Sheikh, 17, was shot by the security forces near Nishat Mughal Garden when a vehicle carrying soldiers opened fire at a group of youths.

A bullet hit Zahid on the chest. He was evacuated to a hospital where he died.

As news of his death spread, fresh tension gripped the capital city, major parts of which were under a security lockdown for the second day.

Carrying Zahid’s body on a cot, hundreds of people tried to force their way to the chief minister's residence. Police used tear gas and baton-charged the protesters. Protests erupted in other parts of Srinagar, too, prompting police to use tear gas and force to disperse the demonstrators.

A senior police officer said police has begun an investigation into the “mysterious death of Zahid Farooq” at Nishat. “An allegation that some passing vehicle opened fire is also being investigated," he said.