Amid shutdown, one more succumbs to injuries

Yet another militant attack on NC MLA’s house in Sopore

Early Times Report

SRINAGAR, Aug 23: While Kashmir valley observed yet another shutdown over the separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s call, one of the civilian protestors succumbed to injuries at a hospital today.

Reports available from different sources said that businesses and traffic remained shut and attendance in government offices was thin as the Valley observed total shutdown over Hurriyat (G) Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s call today. Some of the educational institutions, however, functioned in defiance of the call for shutdown. Sources said that declared and undeclared curfew also remained in force in a part of the capital city besides a couple of major townships like Sopore.

According to these reports, civilian protestors and demonstrators clashed with Police, CRPF and RAF at about eight places in the Valley. At Palhalan and Sighpora in Pattan besides Pruchoo in Pulwama, protestors violently clashed with Police and CRPF.

Sources said that a 23-year-old youth, namely Bilal Ahmed Sheik S/o Abdur Rahim Sheikh R/o Kripalgund, Singhpora, Pattan, succumbed to injuries at a Srinagar hospital. He had been rushed to Srinagar and admitted to a hospital after getting injured in a clash of protestors with Police and CRPF on Aug 14th. As many as sixty persons had already died in the current spell of violence in different incidents of firing by Police and CRPF in Kashmir valley since June 11th.

Sources said that in few days of attack on his residence, NC’s MLA from Sopore, Haji Mohammad Ashraf, was subjected to the second consecutive militant attack on his house at Dangarpora Dooru late last night. Last week, militants had struck on the same house, killing a Police guard and leaving anther injured.

Late last night militants had gunned down a mother-daughter duo at Tangmarg in Noorabad constituency of Kulgam district. It was not immediately clear as to what prompted suspected militants to eliminate the Gujjar, Mohammad Hussain Gorsi’s 40-year-old wife, Sakeena, and her 20-year-old daughter, Zareena. Last night itself, suspected militants had also gunned down yet another civilian, namely Ghulam Nabi Wani son-in-law of Ghulam Mohammad Bhat at Chakora village in Shopian. He was reportedly a junior employee of the state Social Welfare Department.

Meanwhile, official reports from Sumbal area said that two groups of people clashed violently when some people began occupying the road for performing the afternoon prayers but many others objected to it and insisted that the mass prayers be held inside the village mosque, at Safapora in Police District Ganderbal. SP Ganderbal confirmed that two to three persons sustained injuries in the group clash. He said that Police has registered a criminal case and begun investigation.

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