Kashmir: 1 killed, 4 injured in police firing
A man died and four others, a woman among them, were injured when CRPF personnel opened fire on a group of persons in a separatist stronghold of old Srinagar on Wednesday evening.
A man died and four others, a woman among them, were injured when CRPF personnel opened fire on a group of persons in a separatist stronghold of old Srinagar on Wednesday evening.
Local residents accused jawans of firing indiscriminately and without any provocation at a group of men playing cricket in the separatist stronghold of Nawa Kadal, leading to the death of Bashir Ahmad Bhat, 24, a Pashmina shawl weaver, besides critically wounding four others.
In a statement, however, a police spokesman said "the said incident occurred after miscreants tried to snatch weapons of a police party".
"After the polling was over, a party of security forces came under severe attack by some miscreants in Nawakadal area. The miscreants snatched the weapon of a jawan. In the ensuing scuffle, two persons identified as Bashir Ahmed Bhat and Nazir Ahmed Kaloo were injured. Bashir Ahmed later on succumbed to his injuries, while Kaloo is out of danger,'' the statement said.
Hundreds of people participated in the funeral of the slain youth in Jama Masjid, shouting pro-Azadi and anti-India slogans.
The killing has been condemned across the state. In a statement, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said the "killings with impunity" only add to tragedies.
"It is unfortunate that at the end of a comparatively peaceful day, a precious life was lost to disproportionate use of force," she said.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah and Lok Sabha candidate from Srinagar, Farooq Abdullah, have "expressed grief" over the incident.
Both factions of Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani have called for a shutdown on Thursday against the killing.
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