And for the first time, police opened fire hitting two civilians in embattled Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s hometown Bijbehara in southern Kashmir, which has accounted for all the deaths bar one since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by security forces on Friday.
Advertisement
A file image of Burhan Wani.
At least 24 civilians and one policeman have died from wounds sustained in clashes since Saturday, as law enforcement officers used live ammunition, pellet guns and tear gas to try to break up the protests.
The Kashmir valley has been on a boil since as widespread protests were carried out over Wani’s killing with many separatists’ calling for a shutdown. Most of those killed were teens and men younger than 26 from southern occupied Kashmir, police said.
In addition, “miscreants threw a police vehicle into River Jhelum”, south of the state’s summer capital of Srinagar, killing the officer inside, he said.
Curfew remained in force in some parts of Kashmir Valley, including Pampore and Kupwara towns, while restrictions on movement of people were imposed in the rest of the Valley today as the death toll in clashes between protestors and security forces climbed to 34.
His video messages, which would often go viral in Kashmir, were on the topics of Indian injustice, and the need for young people to stand up to oppression.
Meanwhile, the cabinet meeting scheduled to be chaired by the PM in Lahore will discuss the oppressive actions of Indian security forces against innocent civilians and the overall situation in Kashmir after brutal assassination of Burhan Wani, said a statement issued by the PM’s Media Office on Tuesday.
The victims comprised 21 protesters and a police driver.
“I appeal to everybody to restore calm and peace so that further loss of lives is avoided”, the Peoples Democratic Party leader said.
The final straw in recent times, seems to be the decision by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which won elections in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley, to form a coalition with India’s ruling Hindu nationalist BJP which performed well in the neighbouring Hindu majority region of Jammu.
Four days of deadly clashes between anti-India protesters and government troops have left hospitals in India’s portion of Kashmir overwhelmed, with hundreds of wounded patients pouring in, doctors said Wednesday.
More than 68,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the subsequent Indian military crackdown.
Advertisement
The security forces have been under attack after Wani was killed in an encounter.
