[Updated at 3.00 pm Indian Standard Time]




Turbulence toll since June 11th is 48
Shutdown, curfew return after a day’s break on Sunday

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 9: With a critically injured youth succumbing at SKIMS, toll of the civilians killed in different incidents of firing in Kashmir valley from June 11th to Aug 9th has reached 48.

Sources said that the critically injured Fida Nabi Lone S/o Ghulam Nabi Lone R/o Ummarabad Shalteng, Zainakote, succumbed at SKIMS Soura late last night after battling for life for over a week. According to the unofficial statistics available till date, number of the youth killed in dozens of clashes with Police and CRPF in the Valley during Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s lately launched “Quit Jammu & Kashmir Movement” has reached 51 with Fida Nabi Lone’s death last night. These include the people who died in an IED while destroying SOG’s camp at Khrew on Aug 1st. Their number was mentioned as six till yesterday.

However, Deputy Commissioner of Pulwama, Mohammad Afzal Bhat, who himself happens to be a resident of Khrew area, told Early Times over telephone from Pampore today that the number of the civilians killed in the IED blast at Khrew on Aug 1st had been exaggerated due to numeous reasons.

Making a clarification, DC Pulwama elaborated that during the mayhem in the twin towns of Pampore and Khrew on Aug 1st, four civilians had had got killed in firing. Two of them were residents of Khrew, one lived in Khonmoh village while the 4th person was actually a resident of Galwanpora Hyderpora, who had been working and living in Galandar (Pampore) for quite some time. He said that two more residents of Khrew later died in the IED blast at SOG’s camp at Khrew. According to him, six persons had in all died in Pampore-Khrew belt on that day of bloodshed and mayhem.

With this correction, the number of civilians killed in clashes with Police and CRPF in Valley since June 11th has reached 48, including the youth of Zainakote area.

Official sources said that four more of the critically injured youth were still battling for life at SKIMS, Soura. They were identified as Mohammad Akbar Wani (28) of Baramulla, Mehran Khan (18) of Chandanwari Uri, Ghulam Mohammad (20) of Ganderbal (who has been severely hit by a stone in his head, allegedly thrown in retaliatory action by Police/CRPF) and Muneera Dhobi (20) of Pulwama. They said that a 12-year-old boy, namely Imtiyaz Ahmed Dar S/o Ghulam Nabi Dar R/o Shilwat, Sumbal, has also been admitted and placed under intensive care after his skull fractured in yesterday’s stone pelting at Sumbal. He became a victim, when stone pelters were enforcing shutdown at Sumbal.

Meanwhile, Valley has shut completely after a day of relaxation on Sunday as there is remarkable response to the three-day shutdown call issued by separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s Hurriyat Conference. In apprehension of fresh clashes, authorities have declared curfew in entire capital city of Srinagar and the curfew without official declaration is being enforced in rest of the Valley. No untoward incident had been reported till 1450 hours today.

END