Curfew extended to many areas of Kashmir and mobile telephony snapped as part of a bid to foil a march called by separatists
Srinagar : A magistrate, an SSP and three other police officers were among 47 people injured today as stone-pelting incidents spilled over from Kashmir to Jammu region where violence took place in Doda district.
Meanwhile, the authorities extended curfew to many areas of Kashmir and snapped mobile telephony as part of a bid to foil a march called by separatists.
In the valley, more than three dozen incidents of stone pelting were reported from different districts including Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian, Baramulla, Sopore, Kupwara and Bandipora, a police spokesman said.
35 people were injured in these incidents and the ensuing clashes after Friday prayers. The violence spread from Kashmir to Jammu region with a mob turning violent after Friday prayers in Doda where some muslim groups had called for a bandh and a protest march in “solidarity” with the people of Kashmir.
“After Friday prayers, a mob turned violent and attacked the police party that was deployed in the town to maintain law and order and started pelting stones on them,” Deputy Inspector General of Police (Doda Range) Nisar Ahmed said, adding 12 people were injured in these.
“A duty magistrate who was there on the duty with the police was hit on head with the stones,” he added. In the stone-pelting, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Doda Zahid Naeem, SHO Uday Wazir, Sub-Inspector Kulbushan and two other police personnel were also injured.
To disperse the mobs, police used cane charge and lobbed teargas shells, leaving six protesters injured.
In Kashmir, one protester was hit by tear gas shell in the head during clashes in Tangmarg area of Baramulla district. He was admitted to a hospital in Srinagar and his condition is stated to be critical, a police official said. At least 12 people were taken to Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Soura for treatment after they were allegedly thrashed by security forces during clashes in Ganderbal area of central Kashmir, the official said, adding all the injured were discharged after first aid.
“After Friday prayers, miscreants assembled at various places and tried to disrupt the vehicular movement. At most of the places the miscreants started pelting stones on moving vehicles, police and security force deployments,” the police spokesman said.
Police and security forces exercised utmost restraint despite severe provocations at a number of places, the spokesman said, adding many police and security force men were injured during these clashes. At Arhama, Ganderbal, miscreants assembled on road and pelted stones on security forces.
