Restrictions imposed in Kashmir after violent riots

tribune.com.pk

June 12, 2010

SRINAGAR: Restrictions were imposed in the old city areas of Srinagar, a day after a youth died during violent protests.

A teenaged boy was killed in Srinagar, during clashes between stone pelters and police, which started in the city’s downtown area after Friday prayers.

Three civilians including a seven-day-old child have been killed and hundreds other injured in the restive region in stone pelting incidents during the protests in last couple of months.

Meanwhile, All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,  expressed hopes that India and Pakistan would not skirt the Kashmir issue during their upcoming talks.

Farooq also said that Kashmir is the biggest hurdle in the relations between India and Pakistan.

Clashes erupt in Indian Kashmir after death of teenager in alleged police firing

CP

12 06 2010

SRINAGAR, India — Clashes erupted between residents and government forces in Indian-administered Kashmir’s main city Saturday, a day after a teenage boy was killed, allegedly by a rubber bullet fired by police.

Shops, businesses and schools were closed and public buses stayed off the roads in Srinagar to protest the boy’s death.

The 17-year-old student, Tufail Ahmed Mattoo, died late Friday after being hit in the head by a rubber bullet fired by police during a protest against Indian rule, resident Shakeel Ahmed said. He said Mattoo was not part of the protest and was carrying his school bag when he was shot.

Police called the death « mysterious » and said they were investigating it.

« We’re waiting for the medical report. But apparently it seems he was hit by a heavy object, » said Hemant Lohia, a top police officer.

Thousands of people defied restrictions imposed by authorities in several neighbourhoods in Srinagar and gathered Saturday at Mattoo’s home to pay their respects. The mourners carried his body for burial while shouting « We want freedom » and « Blood for blood. »

Police and paramilitary soldiers fired tear gas to quell the protests in several places in Srinagar, a police officer said on condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy. He said angry protesters pulled down at least two paramilitary bunkers in the city.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the Muslim-majority region, where rebel groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with neighbouring Pakistan since 1989.

The region is divided between India and Pakistan and is claimed by both.

More than 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the uprising and the subsequent Indian crackdown.

Thousands protest youth’s killing in Indian Kashmir

AFP

12 06 2010

SRINAGAR, India — Thousands of Muslims Saturday defied strict security restrictions and marched to chants of « we want freedom » in Indian Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar to protest the death of a teenager.

The 17-year-old was killed in downtown Srinagar Friday during clashes between anti-India protesters and riot police, after which thousands of police and paramilitary sealed off neighbourhoods to stop more demonstrations.

But as the student’s body arrived at his home in Srinagar, thousands of protesters marched in defiance of police, who fired shots into the air and used teargas in an unsuccessful attempt to halt the protest march.

« Security forces have ordered us not to venture out. They say a curfew has been imposed, » resident Tanveer Ahmed told AFP by telephone.

Police denied imposing a curfew in some areas.

« We are enforcing restrictions on civilian movement to maintain law and order, » police officer Pervez Ahmed said.

In other parts of Srinagar, where security restrictions were not imposed, a spontaneous strike closed down shops, offices and businesses.

The region is in the grip of a 20-year insurgency against Indian rule. The unrest has left more than 47,000 people dead by official count.

Tensions in the region have been running high after local police accused the military of killing three civilians in April.

The army initially said they had killed three armed rebels but later ordered an enquiry and initiated action against two officers.

One killed in fresh Kashmir protests

Friday, 11 Jun, 2010

afp

11 06 2010

SRINAGAR: One person was killed and 10 others injured Friday in fresh clashes between anti-India protesters and police in Indian-administered Kashmir, police and witnesses said.

The incident took place in downtown Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, a police officer said.

Residents said hundreds of protesters, mostly young Kashmiris, took to the streets after Friday prayers and started chanting, “we want freedom” and “Allah is great.”

Police blocked them, sparking fierce clashes that left nine protesters and two policemen injured. “One youth died in hospital later,” witnesses said.

Police said they were investigating the death, which sparked more protests and intense clashes between police and protesters.

The region, where anti-India sentiments run deep, is in the grip of a 20-year old insurgency against Indian rule. The unrest has left more than 47,000 people dead by official count.

Kashmiri separatists have been holding regular rallies, which often turn violent, since 2008. More than 60 protesters have died in the protests since then, most of them as a result of police firing.

The tensions in the region are high after local police accused the military of killing three innocent civilians in April.

The army initially said they had killed three armed rebels but later ordered an enquiry and initiated action against two officers. -AFP

~ par Alain Bertho sur 12 juin 2010.

Publié dans दंगा, émeutes, riots