Two youth were killed and 100 others wounded as stone-pelting mobs and security forces clashed in south Kashmir areas on Saturday, taking the toll to 78 in the last nine weeks of unrelenting violence.
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The first killing occurred at Tukuru village of Shopian where a youth identified as Sayar Ahmad Sheikh (25) was hit by a teargas canister fired by government forces while attempting to quell a pro-freedom rally. “The other slain was a 23-year-old boy from Anantnag in South Kashmir who had pellet injuries on his stomach and abdomen”, said a senior police official in South Kashmir who spoke to Anadolu Agency on the condition of anonymity.
While “Curfew has been lifted from entire Kashmir”, as reported in the media earlier, police officials said curfew-like restrictions would remain imposed in some areas of Srinagar like Nowhatta, MR Gunj and Khanyar.
Also at Panaji, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the increased deployment of troops was for anti-terror activities as the “army does not act in internal matters unless asked by the local authority”.
The Indian Government has been criticised for the level of casualties and the use of pellet guns during the protests.
Indian army’s re-entry in Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag came days after a parliamentary delegation of Indian politicians had visited the Kashmir.
Over 70 people have died and almost 10,000 have been injured, many of them security personnel, in the clashes that have followed the death of Burhan Wani on July 8.
According to a report by the Times of India, Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag arrived in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on 9 September to review the situation as there were high chances of another round of protests flaring up.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the two gained independence from British rule in 1947.
Several rebel groups have for decades fought Indian soldiers – now numbering around 500,000 -deployed in the territory, demanding independence for the region or its merger with Pakistan. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full.
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Restrictions are in place in the area under Section 144 of CrPC, which prohibits assembly of four or more people.
