Srinagar, Oct 3: Four persons were injured today when security forces allegedly opened fire on protesters in Shopian in South Kashmir, even as curfew was clamped in Srinagar and some other districts in the wake of a protest call by the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference. Army troops cordoned off Nagbal village in Zainapora area, 75 kms from Srinagar, in the wee hours following information about presence of some militants in the area, official sources said here. They said all the residents of the area were assembled in a field. However, some persons started raising provocative slogans against the army cordon.
The troops fired several rounds in air and also used batons to bring the situation under control, the sources said, adding that the security forces' action resulted in injuries to four persons. Two of the injured -- identified as 18-year-old Salima Yousuf and 19-year-old Aamir Dar -- were referred to a hospital in Srinagar for treatment. While the girl has been hit in the right arm, the boy received a bullet in the right leg, they said. Two other persons, who were injured in lathicharge, were given first aid at Zainapora health centre. "Curfew was imposed in the wee hours today in Srinagar, Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara districts as a precautionary measure," a police spokesman said. He said security forces have been deployed in the remaining six districts -- Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulagm, Ganderbal and Budgam -- where severe restrictions have been imposed under section 144 CrPC, which prohibits assembly of four or more persons at any public place.
Curfew has been imposed to foil the plans of the hard line Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who had called for a march to Baramulla (rpt) Baramullah district town in protest against the killing of several youth in security forces action in Pattan area of the district. Authorities had yesterday lifted curfew from the Valley after Geelani suspended his protest calendar for the day. The day had passed off peacefully. Shops, business establishments and private offices, which opened very early yesterday, shut their shutters today while roads and streets wore a deserted look. Kashmir Valley has been in the grip of violent protests since June 11 when a 17-year-old boy was killed after he was hit by a tear smoke shell during clashes at Rajouri Kadal in the interior city. So far, 105 persons have been killed in the unrest in the valley. PTI
