Shops were closed and traffic went off the roads in the town, after rumours spread that those killed in the encounter near the LOC in Machil sector of Kupwara on Friday were local youths.
Violent protests triggered by rumours of alleged killing of local youths today rocked Sopore town of North Kashmir in which three persons were injured.
Shops were closed and traffic went off the roads in the town, 55 kms from Srinagar, this afternoon after rumours spread that those killed in the encounter near the line of Control (LOC) in Machil sector of Kupwara on Friday were local youths.
Army had said an infiltration bid was foiled by its troops in Machil sector by killing three unidentified ultras.
Sopore superintendent of police Mohammad Altaf Khan said the protests broke out after someone using the public address system at a mosque claimed that the militants who were killed in Machil sector were local youth.
The protestors indulged in stone-pelting and attacked the local police station.
They were chased by police personnel who fired a few rounds in the air. Three persons were injured in the clashes.
"I asked people to come forward and see for themselves the photographs of the slain militants. If they are locals, we will investigate the circumstances leading to their killing," Khan said.
On reports of top militant commander Basharat Saleem being killed in clashes with rival militants, the SP said: "we have not recovered the body of the deceased so far".
"It is a matter of investigation. We have also heard the rumours about Saleem's death by Pakistani militants but it is not confirmed yet," he said.
Saleem, the commander of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen militant outfit, had escaped several encounters in the recent past.
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