The agitation against pictures of desecration of the Quran on TV resulted in a loss of three lives on Wednesday in the Jammu region, which had been violence-free over the the past two months when the Valley burned.
In North Kashmir's Sopore town, a 20-year-old youth named Mudasir Ahmad Kanna was killed on Wednesday evening when the security forces fired on protesters.
However, the CRPF denied there was any firing. "Our troops had withdrawn. Somebody among the protestors fired, resulting in the death," said CRPF spokesperson Prabhakar Tripathi.
The toll in the current unrest since June 11 has climbed to 92.
A mob in Mendhar town (in Poonch district), 200 km from Jammu town, turned violent and set fire to government buildings while protesting against the alleged insult to the Quran in the US, reported by a Tehran-based TV channel.
Police said sympathisers of separatists instigated the violence. A crowd of more than 10,000 gathered in the town and moved menacingly towards a Christian missionary school but was stopped by the police.
The protestors then began throwing stones. The police first tried to disperse the crowd by firing teargas shells, but as the situation turned more grim, the security forces let off a volley of bullets, killing three: Abdul Irshad (17), Mohammed Shameem (27) and Alam Dar (40).
{{/usCountry}}The protestors then began throwing stones. The police first tried to disperse the crowd by firing teargas shells, but as the situation turned more grim, the security forces let off a volley of bullets, killing three: Abdul Irshad (17), Mohammed Shameem (27) and Alam Dar (40).
{{/usCountry}}Chased by the police, the protestors gathered near a government bungalow and resumed throwing stones. They also set on fire the offices of the block development officer, sub-divisional magistrate, horticulture department and tehsildar.