Police use teargas shells to quell protestors in Srinagar

Police today fired teargas shells to disperse stone-pelting mobs at a few places in Srinagar even as more violence-hit areas were brought under curfew in South Kashmir, where three youths have been killed in alleged CRPF firing.

Protestors, including women, took to the streets at Natipora and Batmaloo areas here and staged demonstrations against the killings that have rocked the valley for the past few days, police said.

Police and paramilitary forces, which have been deployed in strength to maintain law and order, lobbed teargas shells to disperse the demonstrators at Natipora and Batmaloo in central Srinagar.

Police said there were no reports of any casualty in the clashes during which protestors indulged in pelting stones at security personnel.

However, locals alleged that several persons were beaten up ruthlessly by the CRPF personnel. 

Curfew was clamped in Bijbehara, Mattan, Dooru, Kokernag, Achhabal, Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Kulgam district this morning. Efforts were on to enforce the curfew in Sopore, Baramulla and Anantnag and seven police station areas of Srinagar, police said.

Additional contingents of paramilitary and police units have been deployed to ensure effective enforcement of curfew, they said.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah had yesterday made an appeal for peace and vowed to ensure return of normalcy soon. 

Slamming anti-national and vested interests for instigating violence, he had said that "wherever curfew has been imposed it will be enforced strictly. The cycle of violence has to stop".

Three persons were killed and two others injured as CRPF personnel allegedly opened fire at a group of stone pelting protestors in Anantnag, 55 kms from here, yesterday.

However, locals alleged that CRPF personnel barged into houses and shops while chasing the stone pelting protestors and shot the victims from a close range inside a house and a bakery shop.

While two persons died on the spot, the third succumbed on way to hospital, the police said.

The protestors went on the rampage after the incident and set ablaze three ambulances, three state road transport corporation trucks and a police post resulting in injuries to 30 others including ten policemen.

Stone pelting was reported from KP Chowk, Dangerpora, Lazibal, Mattan Chowk and several other places of Anantnag district, the spokesman said.

With the killing of three more teenagers in Anantnag, the number of youths who have died in firing allegedly by security forces during the past six days has gone up to eight.

A total of 11 people have been killed in firing incidents involving security forces in the past three weeks. 

Meanwhile, the J&K Public service Commission has announced postponement of examinations scheduled today and on July 1 and 2.

Life continues to remained disrupted in Srinagar city and other parts of the valley in response to a strike called by separatists.

Shops and business markets, government offices and educational institutions were closed and transport was off the
roads, officials said.

While most of the leaders and activists of hardline faction of Hurriyat, including its chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, have been arrested, the moderate faction of Hurriyat leaders have been placed under house arrest since June 28.