Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Apr 19: At least 20 police men including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and a Station House Officer (SHO) were among 30 persons injured in Bandipora district after the cavalcade of Higher Education Minister and MLA Sonawari, Muhammad Akbar Lone, was attacked by angry demonstrations today.
Clashes broke out after locals protested against visit of Mohammad Akbar Lone, Minister for Higher Education at Shahgund, who was supposed to attend a workers meeting at the residence of National Conference party worker, Mohammad Maqbool Ghasi.
A youth, Farhat Ahmed Dar, was last month killed in alleged police firing last month in the villages and protesters were demanding punishment to the killers.
Youth took to streets as they heard about the visit of Lone to the village and enforced shutdown in Shahgund and its adjoining areas including Vijpore and Guniger villages. They pelted stones on vehicles and burnt tyres on the streets.
As soon as the cavalcade of Lone reached the village’s main avenue, youth blocked the Minister’s way and threw stones on vehicles. In turn, police and CRPF fired tear smoke shells to disperse the angry protesters.
The protesters forced Lone to cancel his program in Shahgund and then addressed workers five kilometers away in other village.
Protesters in Shahgund ransacked the houses of three NC workers and damaged their windows, glasses and panes. The workers whose houses got damaged in the incident are Khazir Mohammad Dar – NC district President for Bandipora – Mohammad Maqbool Gasi and Advocate Ghulam Hassan.
The situation worsened as police and paramilitary forces arrived in the area in large numbers to quell the protests. Police lobbed teargas shells and resorted to aerial firing. However, protesters offered stiff resistance and resorted to intense stone-pelting on police and CRPF. Police also fired pellets in which two persons were injured. Several other protesters were also injured in the clashes.
A police spokesman said here: “Some stray incidents of stone pelting have been reported from Shahgund Hajan, Bandipora. Two houses have suffered some damage because of the stone pelting. Police rushed to the spot and chased the miscreants. The situation is normal now. Twenty police and CRPF men including one DSP and SHO were injured.”
Police men also allegedly beat up two local scribes Inayat Hajni and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat. Inayat was referred to Srinagar’s SKIMS hospital for treatment.
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