A youth was killed and 50 others injured when security forces opened fire to disperse the pro-azadi rally at Pricho-Pinglina village of Pulwama. Amir Gul Mir, a teenager from Ratnipora, suffered grievous wounds and was shifted to hospital where he was declared dead.
Union home minister Rajnath Singh's 'Mission Kashmir' suffered a major setback when security forces opened fire on the protesters killing one of them and injuring more than 100 even as the Kashmir Inc decided to boycott the meeting for the second time.
A youth was killed and 50 others injured when security forces opened fire to disperse the pro-azadi rally at Pricho-Pinglina village of Pulwama. Amir Gul Mir, a teenager from Ratnipora, suffered grievous wounds and was shifted to hospital where he was declared dead.
The rally was organised in protest against the midnight raids by the security forces to arrest people suspected to be involved in the stone-pelting incidents in the district. However, police and security forces swooped down on the venue firing smoke shells and pellets.
Police, however, said miscreants assembled on roads and started heavy stone pelting on the police and security force deployment at Pinglina in Pulwama.
"In order to clear the road and chase the miscreants, Police and security forces were compelled to use some force, which caused injuries to few miscreants. One of them identified as Amir Gul Mir succumbed to his injuries. In this incident a number of police and security forces personnel were also injured," said a police spokesman.
Tension gripped the area with people taking to streets raising pro-freedom slogans. Security forces rushed in reinforcements to maintain order. Curfew has now been clamped in the township
Later in the day militants hiding in the mob fired and hurled two grenades on the security deployment resulting in injuries to 17 police and CRPF personnel and some civilians. "The injured include commanding officer of 183 battalion of CRPF, additional superintendent of police Pulwama, DySP Pulwama and SHO Pulwama," said the spokesman.
In the retaliatory action, several civilians were also reported to have sustained injuries. Protests, stone-pelting and marches were held in different parts of the valley triggering clashes. Several people are reported to have sustained injuries in these incidents.
"Eight incidents of stone-pelting were reported from Pulwama, Budgam, Srinagar, Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora. Except for these incidents, overall situation across the valley remained under control till filing of this report," said a police spokesman.
However the biggest setback to the home minister's Kashmir outreach came when Kashmir Inc refused to meet him for the second time."We had received invitation from divisional commissioner yesterday to meet the Union home minister. But our committee has decided not to meet him because our concerns have not been addressed," Mushtaq Ahmad Wani, president Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told dna.
Mushtaq noted that last time too they did not meet Singh because they had conveyed through media their concerns that innocent killings should be stopped and pellet guns should be banned besides others. "Since there is no forward movement and the situation is same therefore we decided not to meet him this time too", he said.
Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) too decided not to meet home minister and instead advised him to talk to separatists including pro-Pakistan Hurriyat hawks.
"Instead of talking to fringe elements and mainstream politicians, government of India should talk to Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Muhammad Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq who are the real stake-holders and represent people of Kashmir," said Muhammad Yasin Khan, president KEA.
Sources said state government had sent invitation to different groups to met the home minister. However, only the mainstream parties' including National Conference, Congress and others met the home minister here.
Led by Omar Abdullah, the National Conference (NC) delegation demanded talks with all stake holders including separatists.
"NC has quite clearly said there should be engagement with separatists and Pakistan. We will keep demanding there should be meaningful and credible dialogue at the highest level. Plus union home minister tried to invite people through twitter little realizing the fact that mobile internet has been shut by the government", Junaid Mattu, NC spokesman told dna.
Congress delegation led by state chief GA Mir too met the home minister and apprised him of the anger in the valley. The delegation demanded ban on the pellet guns which have wreaked havoc in the Valley.
Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), a conglomerate of Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani, moderate leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF leader Yasin Malik who are supervising the agitation have asked New Delhi to acknowledge Kashmir as an international dispute before any engagement.
"How is there scope for engagement when they are not acknowledging the issue and instead are killing and maiming people," said Mirwaiz
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