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Protesters burn an effigy of US President Barack Obama, in Budgam on Monday.
Omar in Delhi
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Srinagar, September 13
At least 17 persons, including a policeman, were killed and around 70 others injured in a fresh spate of stepped up violence across the Kashmir valley since last night, despite curfew restrictions being in force. Koran sacrilege reports by a foreign TV news channel reportedly triggered the fresh spate of violence. Demonstrators resorted to arson, stone-throwing and damaged private and public property, prompting the police and the CRPF to open fire, lob teargas shells and use batons to disperse protesters.
Five persons, including a policeman, were killed in separate clashes in Budgam district of central Kashmir, followed by four deaths in the Tangmarg area of Baramulla district. Three others were killed in police firing at Pampore, about 15 km from here, on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.
Four persons were killed and several others injured in the Tangmarg area of Baramulla district. A mob set ablaze Tyndale Biscoe School, a Christian Missionary school in Tangmarg township, on the Gulmarg road in Baramulla district this
morning.
Demonstrators later hurled stones at security forces, prompting them to retaliate, a police spokesman said. The demonstrators also set ablaze the BDO’s office, the court chamber, tehsildar’s official vehicles and residence, the social welfare office, the patwar office, besides two huts of the Tourism Department, the police said.
Curfew restrictions, imposed in Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla and Sopore towns following the Eid-day violence, were extended to other areas, including Pulwama Awantipora, Lethpora and Pampore in south Kashmir today. Curfew restrictions were also imposed in Bandipore town of north Kashmir. The entire city of Srinagar reeled under curfew restrictions where the police and the CRPF men deployed in large numbers restricted the movement of people even in the interior localities. The roads, lanes and bylanes wore a deserted look.
Violence erupted in Ajas township on the Srinagar-Bandipore road where angry demonstrators hurled stones on vehicles, including those belonging to the Army, this morning. The security forces opened fire to quell protests, injuring at least four persons, one of whom later succumbed to his injuries.
Police constable Divender Singh, who was injured in an attack by the mob in Budgam district this morning, later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
Ghulam Rasool Tantary, a civilian of Gogoo in Budgam district, who was injured in clashes between the stone-throwing protesters and the police at Humhama, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. “A mob assembled outside the Budgam police station and resorted to stone throwing on the police station building, which was retaliated by using canister shells,” the police said.
Three persons were injured when police personnel lobbed teargas shells to disperse demonstrators hurling stones on the Parimpora police station on the outskirts of Srinagar city. Those injured were got admitted to the nearby JVC hospital, Bemina. Incidents of throwing stones on security personnel were also reported from the Soura area of
Srinagar.
The police said the miscreants set on fire a two-storied building and damaged the airport road in the Peerbagh area on the city outskirts in Budgam district last night. Stone-throwing incidents were also reported from Pampore township on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway this morning.
Meanwhile, the government has banned broadcast of all local cable news channels in the state.
