*Watch live video of Eid on Excelsior Youtube channel
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, July 6: Eid-ul-Fitr marking the culmination of holy fasting month of Ramadan was celebrated today across the State with religious fervor with thousands offering prayers.
The biggest Eid congregational prayers were held at Eidgah, Hazratbal, Polo Ground and other places in Srinagar and at the district headquarters of Baramulla, Sopore, Ganderbal, Budgam, Bandipora, Pulwama, Kulgam, Anantnag and Shopian.
At several places, there were massive protests after Eid prayers in which protesters threw stones at the police and CRPF resulting in the injuries to over 60 people including two dozen security men.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah joined the devotees for the Eid prayers at Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar where large number of people offered prayers.
Mehbooba, who was accompanied by Minister of State for Urban Development, Asiea Naqash and legislator Anjum Fazli, offered the Eid prayers in the women’s enclosure at Hazratbal. She exchanged greetings with the people present there and prayed for peace and prosperity of the state.
National Conference working president and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also offered prayers at Hazratbal and prayed for peace, amity and brotherhood in the State. He also interacted with the people and exchanged Eid greetings with them.
Eid prayers passed off peacefully at majority of the places. However, clashes between police and stone-pelting youth broke out at Main Chowk and Batapora Sopore in North Kashmir, Hyderpora and Iddgah Srinagar and Ashajipora in South Kashmir district of Anantnag.
The worst clashes were reported at Ashajipora, Anantnag where large number of people carried out a protest march soon after the prayers were offered there at around 8 a.m. Police tried to stop the protesters leading to clashes during which protesters targeted the police and CRPF with stones. Police fired tearsmoke shells to disperse the protesters.
While the clashes were on, the Eid prayers were in progress at Eidgah and the people alleged that police threw tear smoke shells in the prayer ground leading to more protests.
SP, Mubashir Bukhari, was among 40 people injured in the clashes in Anantnag. The injured include 13 police men and 9 CRPF personnel besides over a dozen protesters. The clashes continued for around two hours.
Clashes also broke out in Srinagar’s Eidgah and Hyderpora areas where around one dozen persons including police men were injured. As the prayers ended in Eidgah, youth pelted stones on the police and CRPF leading to clashes during which police fired dozens of tearsmoke shells and resorted to aerial firing. The clashes continued for around two hours.
In Batpora, Sopore and Main Chowk, Sopore in North Kashmir, clashes broke out between stone throwing protesters and police and para-military CRPF during which 13 injured including 5 police men were injured.
A police spokesman said that Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated throughout the Kashmir Zone with great fervour and enthusiasm. “Eid congregations were held in the nooks and corners of Kashmir”, he said.
“Elaborate security arrangements were made and almost all the congregations dispersed off peacefully. However, miscreants indulged in stone pelting at some places including Main Chowk and Batapora Sopore, Hyderpora, Iddgah, Srinagar and Ashajipora Anantnag. Police and security forces exercised maximum restraint. Twenty one Police and SF personnel including two Police officers and four others were injured. Situation is normal throughout Kashmir”, he said.
Earlier as a precautionary measure, authorities placed separatist leaders including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik under house arrest in Srinagar as Geelani had called for peaceful protests after the Eid prayers.
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