Violent clashes rock Kashmir Valley; students take to streets to protest against killings of militants, civilians

Violent clashes rocked parts of the Kashmir Valley on Thursday when students of various colleges took to streets against the killings of the militants and civilians in south Kashmir on Sunday. Masked stone throwers tried to set ablaze the police picket when they lobbed some combustible material inside the bunker at Sher-e-Kashmir Indoor Sports Stadium here.

Scores of students assembled at the Government Degree College Bemina and tried to take out a protest rally against the recent killings in south Kashmir districts. Protests also rocked Government Amar Singh College at Wazir Bagh against the killings.  

Chanting pro-freedom and pro-Zakir Musa slogans, students of Government Women College also took to streets at Lal Chowk against the killings. 

Students clashed with police and security forces at a number of places in Srinagar. Reports reaching from Kupwara and Handwara reveal forces had to resort to lathi charge and fire smoke shells to quell the mob.

The situation took a violent turn when some masked men pelted stones and lobbed some combustible object on the bunker manning the Sher-e-Kashmir Indoor Sports Stadium here. However, the cops exercised maximum restraint and did not retaliate. The fire was immediately brought under control and there was no loss of life and property. 

Inspector General of CRPF, Ravideep Sahi said it was a police morcha which they tried to torch.  “There was morcha which they tried to burn. It was not a campus but a morcha. We always show maximum retrain. There are no injuries reported”, he said.

The violence rocked Kashmir valley on the day when authorities lifted restrictions and people opened shops after four days of the shutdown.

Earlier on Wednesday, two CRPF soldiers were killed and another injured when their vehicle turned turtle after they came under attack from a large mob of stone throwers at Hillar village of Kokernag in south Kashmir’s district of Anantnag.