GOWHAR BHAT/KHALID GUL

Srinagar, July 29: To foil the sit-in protests planned by the Hurriyat Conference, Government for the second day running imposed restrictions on public gatherings across the Valley today, mainly in the summer capital, even as Kashmir remained shut for the 28th day in past five weeks. Protests broke out at several places across the valley against the killing of teenagers.
Pro-freedom protests erupted in uptown Chanapora, Nowgam, Natipora, Machoo and Bagh-e-Mehtab localities as people poured on to roads. At Natipora and Chanapora, young boys enforced road blockades and burnt tyres on roads.
They engaged police and CRPF men in ding dong clashes and hurled stones on them. Police repeatedly charged and lobbed teargas shells to quell protests.
Later in the evening, locals said, CRPF men ran wild near Azad Basti, Natipora and smashed the window panes of houses and damaged vehicles. They also beat up civilians, including women, they said.
Clashes also erupted in Wanabal, Rangreth in city outskirts where protesters engaged forces in skirmishes.
In downtown here at Saidakadal, people poured onto streets and staged anti-India demonstrations. They alleged that after late night protests on Wednesday, CRPF men this morning barged into residential houses in Khoj-e-Yarbal locality and beat up locals, including  women and children.
“The CRPF men beat us up indiscriminately and smashed the window panes of scores of houses,” they said, raising anti-CRPF slogans.
Protests against police and CRPF broke out in Shah Mohalla, Nawab Bazar, where women protested alleged highhandedness of police and CRPF. They said forces beat up civilians without any discrimination and demanded release of a youth, who they said was detained by police.
In downtown, police and CRPF was deployed heavily to keep a check on public gatherings and protests. They blocked roads by barricades and razor wires to stop the civilian and vehicular movement.
Police said the restrictions were aimed at “maintaining law and order.”
Restrictions were in place in Maisuma and Gowkadal localities in central Srinagar. Shops, businesses, banks, courts and educational institutions remained shut while transport stayed off the roads.
Barring a few normal working days, the ongoing strikes, protests and restrictions are on for the past five weeks.
Reports from the central Kashmir district of Budgam said restrictions were enforced by police and CRPF personnel in the town and its peripheries to check protests.

SOUTH KASHMIR:
In Samboora, near Pampore, army troopers fired warning shots in air after youth took to the streets and staged protests, blocking the Srinagar-Pulwama Road. Raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans, they marched through Samboora.
Witnesses said a convoy of army vehicles passed through the area. The protesters didn’t allow the convoy to proceed and pelted stones on them, forcing them to take a U-turn. The army troopers fired shots in air and detained a youth after they caught hold of him in commotion.
However, people in large numbers came on the roads and secured the release of the youth. The protests continued for several hours.
In Islamabad, several people including a few policemen were injured in the day-long clashes between police and protesters following the arrest of several youth by police early in the morning.
Witnesses said police persons raided several houses in Dangerpora area in the old town and arrested many youth. Following the arrests the people including women of the locality came out of the streets amid pro-freedom slogans and demanded the release of the youth. The protesters later staged a sit-in. However, police and paramilitary CRPF men used force to disperse the protesters by resorting to baton charge and intense tear gas shelling injuring many.
In Shakhsaz Mohalla of Kadipora area the CRPF men barged into several houses and ransacked the household goods, smashed the window panes and beat up the inmates including women and children. The CRPF men, according to the locals, also severely thrashed two youth Irfan Ahmad and Obaid Ahmad and took them along. However, women came out of their houses and managed to set them free.
The residents of Kadipora accused the SOG men camped in the area for fomenting trouble on routine basis.
“Since the locals have been for long demanding the removal of SOG camp from the residential area, so they (SOG men) in order to justify their presence before the administration pelt stones on the CRPF men from the camp and then the locals bear the brunt,” said the residents.
They also alleged that the former Ikhwanis turned SOG men were harassing them of dire consequences in case they demand the removal of the camp.
Pertinently, the district administration last month had assured of removing the camp within few days following the complaints of the locals of harassing them including women. The locals also accuse the SOG men of snatching their mobiles and other costly electronic gadgets.
Meanwhile amid strict restrictions in the old town areas of Kadipora, Mattan Chowk, Dangerpora, Reeshi Bazar, Sherpora, Janglat Mandi and Malakh Nag, violent clashes broke out between the protesters and policemen. In Lal Chowk and Laizbal areas youth resorted to heavy stone pelting injuring several police and CRPF men. The police also retaliated by resorting to intense tear gas shelling. Several people sustained injuries in the police action. Clashes were on till late in the evening.
Meanwhile, in order to check the stone pelting in the town police has launched massive crack down on the youth in the town and detained many of them from the volatile areas of the town during overnight raids.
Reports of protests and sporadic clashes were also received from district Kulgam. In Shopian town people came out on the streets and staged a sit in. Reports of clashes between the protesters and the police were also received from certain areas of the town.
Police on Thursday said that some miscreants chopped the hair of a Sikh youth in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
“A group of youth intercepted Nitin Singh son of Jagdish Singh of Devar Tral near Malangpora and asked him to raise slogans. However, Singh refused. His refusal infuriated the miscreants and they chopped off his hair,” a top police official told Greater Kashmir.
He said that incident triggered demonstrations in Tral, Awantipora and other adjoining areas.
When contacted, Superintendent of Police (SP), Awantipora, M S Panu, said that protesters were dispersed off peacefully and traffic on Srinagar-Jammu highway is through.

ALTAF BABA ADDS FROM NORTH KASHMIR:
Amid a shutdown in North Kashmir districts and towns of Varmul, Sopur, Kupwara, Handwara, Ganderbal and Bandipora, protests broke out at a few places during the day.
Massive protests rocked Palhalan township of Pattan in Varmul district after police fired live ammunition and tear gas shells to quell pro-freedom protests Wednesday night.
In the morning, youth came out on roads and staged protests against police and paramilitary forces for using indiscriminate and brute force against protesters.
Witnesses said people staged sit-in demonstrations today and raised pro-freedom and anti-India slogans.
The protests continued throughout the day.
In old town Varmul, mild clashes broke out between protesters and policemen near Cement Bridge and Transport Yard Bridge.
People also protested at Sangrama, Chooru, Haigam, Patukha, Kreeri areas. Youth pelted stones on policemen who responded by repeatedly baton charging them. Eight persons were injured in the clashes.
Locals said that police picked up several youth during the overnight raids on Wednesday.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 IST