SRINAGAR: Protesters who took to the streets of Kashmir to mark the 25th anniversary of the execution of a militant leader clashed with security forces yesterday, leaving at least 13 civilians and five police injured.
Hundreds of Kashmiri Muslims threw rocks at Indian paramilitary forces during protests in several neighborhoods of Srinagar, the largest city in Jammu-Kashmir state, said senior police official Javed Afadul Mujtaba. Security forces fired tear gas in response.
The protesters were calling for the remains of militant leader Maqbool Butt to be returned to Kashmir. Butt was a leader of the Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front, which spearheaded a violent campaign for Kashmir to secede from the predominantly Hindu country.
Butt was hanged on Feb. 11, 1984, for the 1965 murder of an intelligence agent in Kashmir and was buried in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail. The group gave up its arms in 1994 to launch a political campaign calling for independence.
Shops, businesses were shut in Srinagar and other towns of the valley. Groups of stone-pelting protesters shouting pro-independence slogans clashed with police and paramilitary, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Srinagar and north Kashmir’s Baramulla town.
Police shelled tear gas and resorted to baton charges to disperse the stone-throwing protesters shouting pro-freedom slogans in the Maisuma locality of the capital city.
Tension gripped the locality which is a strong hold of the JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik yesterday after several shopkeepers were roughed up by the paramilitary CRPF following an altercation.
Meanwhile, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti yesterday vowed to play the role of a “constructive opposition” after being elected leader of her party in the 87-member Kashmir assembly. The PDP is the largest opposition group with 21 legislators.
Talking to reporters, Mehbooba, 47, said the new position gave her more responsibilities. “We will play the role of a constructive opposition. We would give enough space and time to the new government to deliver but we will not compromise on the issues affecting the people,” she said.
Mehbooba has been the PDP president since June 2003 and led the party in the 2004 parliamentary and 2008 assembly elections. The ruling National Conference has 28 legislators and the Congress 17. The two jointly rule the country’s only Muslim-majority state.
