A teenager injured during the recent protests in south Kashmir’s Shopian died on Tuesday, taking the total number of civilians killed in the district over the last few days to six.
Seventeen-year-old Mohammad Iqbal was hit by a bullet in Nagbal on Sunday, during protests against the death of five Hizbul Mujahideen militants in an encounter at nearby Badigam village that morning. “The youngster was admitted to the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital at Srinagar with a severe abdominal injury. He died today,” said an official at the police control room in Shopian.
Violent protests erupted soon after news of Iqbal’s death reached Shopian, and security personnel found themselves being attacked by stone-pelters. “Clashes between youngsters and security forces are still on,” the official said.
Meanwhile, a statewide shutdown called by separatists to condemn the death of several militants and civilians at the hands of security personnel since Saturday entered its third day. Shops and other commercial establishments remained closed while roads witnessed thin traffic. The government also ordered the closure of educational institutes to prevent students from hitting the streets in protest.
An official with the police control room said restrictions have been imposed on the movement of people in areas falling under the jurisdiction of seven police stations in Srinagar, besides Pulwama and Shopian towns. “The situation in most places – with the exception of Nagbal and Dacho in Shopian – is under control,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}An official with the police control room said restrictions have been imposed on the movement of people in areas falling under the jurisdiction of seven police stations in Srinagar, besides Pulwama and Shopian towns. “The situation in most places – with the exception of Nagbal and Dacho in Shopian – is under control,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}While Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq continue to be under house arrest, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik has been placed under preventive detention in view of the ongoing violence.
They have now urged the people to resume normal activities from Wednesday, and express their condemnation of the killings by hoisting black flags. “We will consult people from all walks of life to come up with a strategy in the context of the ongoing bloodshed and atrocities on the people,” a statement issued by the separatists said.
Mohammad Rafi Bhat, an academic-turned-militant, and Saddam Padder, a top Hizbul commander, were among five militants killed on Sunday.
As many as 41 people – including militants, civilians and security personnel – were killed in various instances of violence across Kashmir in April. Twenty people, including a Tamil tourist who was fatally hit by a stone, have died so far this month.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that 15 or 18 was no age for children to die, and there was a need for a “middle path” to stop the killings in the Valley.