Students protest youth’s death in Shopian district

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 12

Students held protests today over the recent killing of a college youth in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

Dozens of college and higher secondary school students in Shopian came out on roads raising anti-India slogans and pelted stones on security forces, nearly 60 km south of Srinagar city.

As soon as the morning assembly was over, students of Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Shopian, came out on roads. The protest spread over to the local college, where students hoisted a Pakistan flag on the main entrance. Students from both the educational institutions assembled at the Shopian-Pulwama highway and pelted stones on security forces, triggering massive clashes.

The police and paramilitary forces lobbed teargas shells on protesters to disperse them. Police officials said no one was hurt in the clashes, which continued till afternoon.

Adil Magray, a college student, was shot earlier this week in Shopian during a protest which erupted following a cordon and search operation against militants.

Classwork in educational institutions across Kashmir has been affected after around 60 students, including women, were injured in a clash with security forces, who fired smoke shells and small lead balls at students inside Government Degree College at Pulwama in April.

Since that day, student protests have been reported from almost all the parts of the Valley, forcing the government to close down educational institutions quite often.