The seriously injured were brought to Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) for specialised treatment, whereas the rest were being treated at a medical facility at Vahil and the district hospital of Shopian. On seeing them, the residents came out of their homes and began chanting pro-freedom slogans.
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However, police officials denied the charge, saying that the security forces were removing the roadblocks when they faced heavy stone-pelting. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy.
A local resident, Yousuf Bhat, said the troops indiscriminately fired shotguns. The incidents set off fresh tensions in Shopian areas, according reports.
Clashes have also been reported in Malangam village of Bandipora district. Witnesses said the Pakistani national flag was put up at a few places in the village. The security forces fired dozens of teargas canisters to quell the slogan-chanting crowds.
The protest comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that there was a need to find a permanent solution to the problem within the framework of the Constitution. The Kashmir valley has been crippled by officially imposed curfew and separatist-called protest shutdown since July 9, a day after the killing of top militant, Burhan Wani, in a gunfight with the security forces. Two policemen have also been killed and hundreds of government forces have been injured in the clashes.
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Since India and Pakistan won independence from British rule in 1947, they have been claiming Kashmir in full but have only partial control over it. Thousands of people have been killed in the unrest in Kashmir since early 1990s.
