Protests erupt in Kashmir Valley, police officer hurt

Kothibagh Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Fahad Tak was injured when he was hit by a stone on his face during clashes with JKLF supporters at Maisuma in the heart of Srinagar, officials said. The clashes erupted shortly after police detained JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, along with eight of his colleagues, as they tried to take out a march to protest the killing of a woman and her minor son by a Village Defence Committee (VDC) member in Rajouri district yesterday. 

Chanting slogans in support of disbanding of VDCs, Malik and his colleagues were heading towards Lal Chowk when they were stopped by police at Budshah Chowk, leading to stone-pelting and subsequent clashes during which police fired dozens of teargas shells to restore order.

Clashes were also witnessed outside Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar where the protesters raised flags of Pakistan and the ISIS among others. The clashes between groups of youths and police started shortly after Friday prayers and were continuing till last reports came in, the officials said, adding there was no immediate report of any casualty on either side. 

Police also fired teargas shells to disperse stone-pelting protesters at several places in Pulwama district of south Kashmir after the burial of a militant who was killed in a brief encounter with security forces in Bandipora district late last evening. Meanwhile, a Lashkare-Toiba (LeT) militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, police said. 

Omais Ahmad Sheikh alias Hamza, a resident of south Kashmir Pulwama district, was killed in a gun battle with security forces in Sumbal, 30 km from here, an official said.