Over 100 injured as protests, shutdown continue in Valley

Over 100 persons were injured in clashes with security forces personnel and a school caught fire amid continued protests and separatist-backed shutdown in Kashmir today.

Protests erupted in Mirhama village of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district when security forces personnel lobbed teargas shells to disperse a pro-Pakistan rally at the ground of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya.

People threw stones at security forces personnel. In the ensuing clash, over two dozen persons, including three policemen, were injured.

The school building also caught fire. The injured were taken to various hospitals, where doctors stated their condition to be stable. Due to timely intervention of the police, fire in the school building was doused.

“It was a reaction to dispersion. A pro-Pakistan rally was going on and we fired teargas shells to disperse the mob. People got angry and they lobbed a petrol bomb inside the school building, due to which an office room was partially damaged,” said Sridhar Patil, Superintendent of Police, Kulgam.

The police arrested the person who lobbed the petrol bomb inside the school. Locals claimed that the school building caught fire after a shell fired by the police landed inside. Officials said PAVA shells were used in Mirhama.

Hundreds of persons came out on the roads to carry out a rally in Muran village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district this morning.

Security forces personnel fired teargas shells to thwart the rally, but the protesters were undeterred. Youths threw stones at security forces, triggering a clash in which over 90 persons were injured. The injured were taken to various hospitals and were out of danger.

A rally was organised in the Kralpora area of Kupwara district in north Kashmir. Security forces personnel fired bullets and pellets to quell the protesters. Eight persons were injured, four of whom were taken to Srinagar for treatment.

An elderly man suffered cardiac arrest at his house in Chawalgam village of Kulgam when clashes were going on between protesters and security forces personnel.

The deceased was identified as Abdul Gani Mir (65). His family members said he suffered a stroke due to heavy shelling in the village.

Normal life had been affected for the past two months as educational institutions, business establishments and shops remained closed. Attendance in government offices had improved in the past few days.

Traffic remained off the roads. Government officials said curfew had been lifted from all parts of Kashmir, but restrictions imposed at some places.

At least 75 persons had been killed and several thousand wounded in clashes between protesters and security forces personnel in Kashmir following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8.

Meanwhile , in the Dahalgam area of Anantnag district, locals said police fired at transformers and removed their oil to cut off the power supply to the area. “At least 10 transformers were fired at and damaged by the police. They also removed oil from one of the transformers to disrupt the power supply in the area,” said an advocate from Dahalgam.

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