Clashes over six-year-old girl’s death

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 17

Protest demonstrations and clashes between the protesters and police took place in downtown Srinagar and elsewhere after Friday prayers against the killing of a girl during an encounter between militants and security forces in Kupwara on Wednesday.

The protests, in response to the joint call of separatists, began soon after the congregational Friday prayers in downtown where the main mosque, Jamia Masjid, is located at Nowhatta. Masked youths displaying Pakistani and IS flags appeared on the roads and indulged in stone-throwing on police and CRPF personnel deployed in the area in strength to control law and order situation. The police lobbed teargas shells to disperse the protesters. There were no reports of any injuries to any one in the incidents so far.

Demonstrations against the killing of the girl in Kupwara and the alleged arrest spree were also held by the JKLF at Maisuma in the Lal Chowk area. The clashes also took place in Sopore town of Baramulla district in north Kashmir, where the youths took to the streets and indulged in stone-throwing on police and CRPF personnel deployed in the area.

Separatist leaders, Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, were kept under house arrest to prevent them from taking out any protest march.

The protests were against the killing of a six-year-old girl, Kaneez, and injuries to her brother Faisal during an encounter between militants and security forces in the Kalaroos area of Lolab in Kupwara district of north Kashmir on Wednesday. The police said the girl was hit by a stray bullet, about 100 m away from the encounter site. The incident took place a week after the death of a 15-year-old boy, Amir, during a gunfight in the Padgampora area of Pulwama district of south Kashmir.