Srinagar, September 6
The ever-fragile calm of Kashmir was shattered today when a man was killed after being hit by a rubber bullet of the security forces in Srinagar.
Earlier, a violent mob comprising hundreds of youths charged towards the security personnel and attacked them with stones and even threw a petrol bomb.
Life in the valley was paralysed as shops, offices and educational facilities were closed on account of the bandh call given by the Hurriyat-led coordination committee.
A police official said a large crowd gathered at Nowhatta in the downtown and resorted to stone-pelting on security personnel. A petrol bomb was hurled at a local police station, though it exploded outside the building.
As the situation deteriorated,
the police and security personnel fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. One Javaid Ahmad Bhat died when he was hit by a rubber bullet in his chest.
Another Jahangir Bhat sustained injuries in his leg. “At least 15 persons were injured, including four security personnel,” a police official said.
Locals said the killed man was not in the agitating crowd. “He was a taxi driver and happened to be there when the bullet hit him,” Ghulam Ahmad, a local said.
Javaid’s death sparked off a massive demonstration. Hundreds of people came out of their homes and sat on the road with his body.
People took to roads in different localities of the summer capital, especially as the news of death spread. Protests were witnessed in Bemina and Daresh Kadal and security personnel used force to disperse the crowd.
Scores of protesters also gathered in Sopore and held demonstrations demanding release of some locals arrested by the police. There were protests in Anantnagh and Bandipore also.
Apart from pro-separatist marches, bandh kept life out of gear. Transport services were off-road.
Top separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yaseen Malik, remained under house arrest for the second day.
