SRINAGAR: At least 25 people, including 10 policemen, were injured on Monday in clashes between stone pelting youths protesting against the killing of teenager and police in several parts of the city even as several Hurriyat leaders were put under house arrest ahead of their planned march.
Police fired tear gas shells and used batons on youths who pelted stones and bricks on them in Saidakadal, the native place of 17-year-old Tufail Ahmad Mattoo whose death in a clash between security forces and stone pelting protesters last week sparked protests.
Clashes also occurred in Rainawari, Bemina, Kralpora and Tengpora areas, official sources said.
People also took out processions against the killing of Mattoo in Anantnag town of south Kashmir, Baramulla and Sopore towns of north Kashmir. The protesters dispersed peacefully.
Chairman Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and other leaders of the amalgam were placed under house arrest by authorities who imposed restrictions on the movement of people to foil separatists’ planed march to express solidarity with the family of the teenager.
Farooq accused the police of adopting dilly dallying tactic on ascertaining the cause of death of Tufail.
Attacking the coalition government, he said it has failed to arrest “lawlessness and state terrorism in the state.
“Police is deliberately adopting dilly dallying tactic to cover its misdeeds with regard to killing of the teenager Tufail”, he said in a statement.
Normal life continued to be disrupted in the city with markets, banks, educational institutions and semi-government establishments remaining closed. Authorities also cancelled examinations scheduled for the day.
Leaders placed under house arrest ahead of the march were Syed Ali Shah Geelani, General Secretary of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Mohammad Ashraf Sahrai, leader of Muslim Khawateen Markaz Zamrooda Habib and President of the Salvation Movement Zaffar Akbar Bhat sources said.
However, Chairperson of Dukhtaran-e-Millat Syeda Asiya Andrabi and Hurriyat leader Pir Saifullah reached Saidakadal along with their supporters and met the family of Tufail.
Apprehending trouble during the march, authorities imposed restrictions on the movement of people in the old city, especially in Rainawari, Khanyar, Maharajgunj, Nowhatta and Safakadal where residents alleged that curfew had been imposed.
“Curfew has been imposed as police and paramilitary personnel deployed are not allowing people to come out of their houses,” Irfan, a resident of Nowhatta, said.
Police had said they would order an internal inquiry into the killing of Tufail only after receiving the post-mortem report from the panel of doctors appointed by the district magistrate. The report is still awaited, police sources said.
Published in the Express Tribune, June, 15th, 2010.
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