Sanjeev Pargal/ Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Feb 9: Around 40 persons including 23 policemen were injured in clashes that broke out between protesters and police in several parts of Kashmir Valley after authorities imposed indefinite curfew in Srinagar City and other major towns of the Valley while police and para-military Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were put on high alert in Jammu region and Army was kept standby this morning as authorities anticipated trouble in the wake of hanging of 2001 Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru at Tihar Jail today.
The State Government early in the morning conveyed hanging of Afzal Guru to Deputy Commissioners and SSPs of all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir regions and asked them to deal with law and order situation with utmost restraint. Authorities were allowed to either allow peaceful protests or disperse them with minimum possible force to avoid any casualties. In the Valley, the Deputy Commissioners imposed curfew at the district headquarters of all districts and major towns of Kashmir.
Protests were held at various places including Kishtwar, Doda and Banihal towns in Jammu region where an instant shutdown was observed this morning and people from majority community took out processions against the hanging of Afzal Guru, a resident of Sopore town in Kashmir Valley.
However, situation all across Jammu region remained peaceful with no untoward incident reported from any part. Authorities had also sounded a high alert in twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri with deployment of strong contingents of police, CRPF and Armed Police and keeping troops alert.
The day in Jammu region passed off peacefully due to preventive measures taken by the authorities, who had been sounded about a couple of hours ahead of the hanging by the Government.
“No untoward incident was reported from any part of Jammu region including Jammu City and its outskirts though the authorities kept a strong vigil over the situation”, official sources said.
Army and BSF authorities have also sounded a high alert along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in apprehensions of infiltration attempts by the militants to carry out strikes on this side.
“Army and BSF, who were already in a state of high alert on LoC and IB respectively, further intensified their patrolling to thwart possibility of any intrusion bid by the militants”, sources said.
Chief Secretary Madhav Lal told the Excelsior that stray incidents of violence were reported from some places in which some civilians and police personnel were injured.
“Overall the situation is well under control. Security arrangements are in place”, he said, adding the authorities would take a call late tonight on review of curfew restrictions in some parts of the Valley tomorrow.
Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Prasad said police was fully geared to meet any kind of situation. He said today’s protests were basically confined to North Kashmir including Baramulla, Sopore, Pattan and Bandipora, where separatists have their presence. The Central Kashmir was normal, he added.
Mr Prasad said 13 to 14 incidents of protests were reported from Srinagar but they were tackled. In South Kashmir, there was negligible impact of protests, he added.
The state police chief said protests were also reported from parts of Jammu region but they passed off peacefully.
Mr Prasad said only one injured civilian in Kashmir had a bullet injury in leg as police had to retaliate to a mob pelting stones. All other injured were normal, he added and said police was fully geared to meet with any situation. He said prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC would continue in the Valley.
People across Kashmir today woke up to see police and para-military forces deployed in full strength in Srinagar city and other major towns. Police and CRPF erected barricades and sealed all the entry and exit points of Srinagar city and other major towns to prevent the clashes in the aftermath of the hanging of Afzal Guru.
Early in the morning, the cable Television was also taken off and mobile internet was shut down to prevent large-scale use of the internet in Kashmir valley for spreading the trouble through social media. However, the broadband of the BSNL was functioning normally.
People were not allowed to move out of their homes as police and para-military forces were patrolling the streets. The people, who came out, were asked to go home by police and CRPF as they were told the city and towns were under curfew.
However, in the Civil lines area of Srinagar city the curfew was not as strict as in other parts and police allowed people to buy the essentials and allowed movement of patients to hospital.
There were reports of isolated incidents of clashes from parts of Srinagar like Maisuma, Channapora, Bypass, Hyderpora, HMT but overall the situation in Srinagar was under control. Police and CRPF maintained calm and chased away the protesters without any major confrontation.
The violent clashes mostly broke out in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district in which around 40 people were injured when security forces fired on stone pelting protesters.
The protests were reported from Sangrama, Laled, Delina, Higam, Palalgan, Mirgund, Narbal, Armpora Main Chowk Sopore, College Road Sopore, Batpora Sopore, Fruit Mandi Sopore, Dubagaon, old town Baramulla, Rafiabad, Handwara and Kupwara.
However, the intensity of the clashes between stone throwing protesters and police and CRPF was more in Doabgaon area of the Baramulla district, the area where from Guru hailed. Thirteen persons were injured in clashes when police and paramilitary forces opened fire on protesters at Sopore and Baramulla.
Some of the injured have been identified as Firdous Ahmad Buhroo son of Ghulam Ahmad Buhroo of Dubgah Baramulla, Bilal Ahmad Gojri son of Abdur Rehman Gojri of Drangbal Baramulla, Zahoor Ahmad son of Ali Mohammad of Dubgah, Irfan Ahmad son of Fayaz Ahmad, Mushtaq Ahmad son of Fazludin of Dubgah, Azlaan Ahmad son of Fayaz Ahmad of Dubgah, Aamir Ahmad son of Fayaz Ahmad of Old Town Baramulla, Nayeem Ahmad Sheikh son of Mushtaq Ahmad of Watirgam Rafiabad, Fayaz Ahmad Bagwaan of Drangbal, Shankar Ahmad Zargar son of Abdul Wayoom of Chandoosa Baramulla, Ajaz Ahmad Bagwaan son of Mohammad Sidiq of Drangbal and Mohammad Ashraf son of Abdul Wahab of Khanpora, Baramulla.
In South Kashmir, protesters blocked the National Highway at Lowermunda in district Anantnag. The protesters came out on the National Highway and blocked it. They pelted stones on the passing vehicles and later clashed with police and CRPF. Police later chased them away to the nearby villages and also detained several of them. The clashes were also reported from KP Road and Lal Chowk in district Anantnag.
Police and protesters also clashed at Shopian and Kulgam. However, they were chased away by police and in the clashes SHO Zainpora received minor injuries.
A police spokesman said here this evening that 36 persons including 23 policemen including three officers were injured in clashes that broke out in Kashmir today.
The spokesman said: “Barring stray incidents of stone pelting at various places, the situation across the Valley remained under control and by and large peaceful. 36 persons including 23 policemen were injured in these incidents.”
The spokesman said that Police exercised maximum restrain while dispersing the stone peltors. “23 policemen including some officers, an SP, a DSP and an ASI were injured in the pelting incidents”, he added.
The police spokesman said while tackling of the stone pelters, 13 protesters received injuries. “Among the injured three were shifted to the hospital for treatment while 10 others received minor injuries”, he added.
The spokesman said that Bilal Ahmad Gojri son of Abdul Rahman Gojri, a resident of Azad Gunj, Baramulla who was injured in his left thigh in Old Town, Baramulla was shifted to SKIMS Soura for treatment. His condition is reported to be stable, police added.
The spokesman further said that another person Firdous Ahmad Bohroo received injuries in his left arm in Sopore. “He was shifted to SKIMS, Srinagar where his condition is also reported to be stable. Riyaz Ahmad Sofi son of Bashir Ahmad resident of Wanihama, Zakoora was injured in his right leg and is being treated in the hospital. His condition is also reported to be stable”, police added.
In the meantime, Ajaz Ahmad Guru, brother of Afzal Guru said: “We had no prior information about the hanging of Afzal Guru. At least the Government should have given the family a chance to meet him before he was hanged. He didn’t get fair trial and his wife, Tabassum, is in deep shock over the hanging of her husband. She and entire family now want his body.”
DIG Doda-Ramban range Gareeb Dass said despite protests and shutdown situation remained peaceful in all three sensitive districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban. He said police and CRPF had been deployed in adequate strength in all vulnerable areas of the three districts while Army was on standby.
In most sensitive town of Banihal in Ramban district, the people of majority community started gathering at Bus Stand instantly after getting the report of Afzal Guru’s execution and then started protest march toward Gund via Toll Post. SSP Ramban Anil Magotra and other senior officers followed the march as tight security arrangements had been made in the district with heavy deployment of police and CRPF.
Raising slogans, the protesters held a massive demonstration and Gund and then performed `Namaaz-e-Zanaja’ of Afzal Guru before dispersing peacefully.
All shops and business establishments in Banihal market remained closed. Traffic was off the roads. On Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, very few vehicles were seen moving in view of the protests across Ramban.
In Kishtwar town, the people gathered outside Jama Masjid near Bus Stand and after holding a demonstration and shouting slogans they marched towards the Deputy Commissioner’s office. Later, they held protest at Hadyal Chowk before returning to the Bus Stand.
Entire market in Kishtwar town and outskirts remained closed.
In Doda, the people took out protests in the town and later marched towards different areas before dispersing. A shutdown was also observed in Doda town.
Sources said police authorities allowed the people to hold peaceful demonstrations but maintained a strict vigil to ensure that they didn’t turn violent.
In twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, no incident of protest or shutdown was reported from any town.
SSP Rajouri Mubassir Latifi said authorities remained on alert throughout the day. Situation remained calm.
In Poonch district also, SSP Shamsheer Hussain said the situation remained normal in Poonch, Surankote, Mendhar and other town. “The day passed off peacefully”, he added.
Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq strongly condemned the hanging of Guru. He called for 4 day mourning and shutdown across the Kashmir valley. He expressed strong displeasure and anguish over the hanging. He called for return of the body of Guru to his family.
“This is a part of election drama and a step motivated by electoral considerations in which Kashmiris are being made sacrificial lambs”, said Mirwaiz. The spokesman of Hurriyat Conference said that Mirwaiz was put under house arrest in Delhi.
The chairman of hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani, called for a 3-day strike. In a statement issued here today, he termed the hanging as an extremely condemnable and reprehensible act. “Geelani was also put under house arrest in Delhi”, the spokesman of the outfit said.
Authorities arrested Democratic Freedom Party leader Shabir Ahmad Shah and other leaders as a precautionary measure. Shah and some other separatists were arrested this morning by the police from their respective residences.
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