Youth hit by teargas shell dies in clashes between irate mob and security forces
Srinagar: A 22-year-old youth was killed when hit by a teargas canister in head as protests broke out between irate mobs and security forces at some places in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar and north-western district of Baramulla soon after Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, had addressed a rally here on Saturday.
Police sources said that groups of people, mainly youth, took to streets chanting pro-freedom slogans in Zainakote area of the City and when the CRPF deployed in the area tried to disperse them they allegedly indulged in stone-pelting. The CRPF fired teargas canisters into the crowd and one of it hit Gowhar Nazir Dar, a 22-year-old student, in the head. He was rushed to Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) where he succumbed later.
SSP Srinagar Amit Kumar told reporters that the CRPF men came under heavy stone pelting, forcing them to fire a few teargas canisters and one of these hit the youth in the head. Police also said the protests broke out at a few other places in the Valley including Pattan and Palhalan areas of Baramulla as groups of youth pelted stones on vehicles carrying the participants of Mr. Modi’s rally back home.
However, residents of Zainakote said that they were only protesting against the restrictions on their movement and other curbs by the security forces when the CRPF used force against them. As the word about the youth’s death spread, clashes between surging crowds and security forces broke out in several other areas of Srinagar.
Earlier, a security clampdown was enforced in the summer capital and neighbouring areas whereas security elsewhere in the Valley and parts of Jammu region had been tightened further for the Prime Minister’s visit. Official sources said that following the youth’s killing, curfew-like restrictions in parts of Srinagar may remain in force for the third consecutive day on Sunday.
Kashmir’s chief Muslim cleric and chairman of his faction of separatist Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has called for a protest shutdown in Kashmir against the teenager’s killing. “On one hand Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed unceasingly talk about empowering youth of Kashmir but, on the other hand, trigger-happy forces miss no opportunity in spilling the innocent blood of Kashmiri youth,” he said in a statement here.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front and several other separatist parties and groups and also Kashmir High Court Bar Association too have called for a shutdown on Sunday to mourn and protest the youth’s killing.
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
