Military

Curfew extended in Kashmir as 11 year old boy dies in Police firing

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Srinagar, India, Aug 31, IRNA -- Entire Kashmir valley was brought under curfew on Tuesday, a day after it was briefly lifted, following the killing of a teenager in police firing last evening.

The killing of 11-year-old Irshad Ahmad in Anantnag (Islamabad) town sparked fresh wave of anti-India demonstrations prompting authorities to impose curfew in more areas.

Irshad was killed when police opened fire on a group of youth protesting in the town Monday evening. 15 more where injured, reports said.

With Irshad's death, the number of people who have lost their lives in police firing since June 11 has risen to 65.

As the news of the young boy's death spread in the area, thousands of people came out of their homes and joined the street protests.

Such was the intensity of protests that government forces had to retreat from many areas of the town, a police source said.

The clashes later spread to neighbouring Pulwama town. A large group of people tried to storm local police station prompting policemen there to open fire. Here again several people were injured, two of them critically.

Earlier police opened fire on a group of youth in Srinagar's Maisuma area injuring five of them. One of the injured Yasir Ahmed, a close relative of JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik, was admitted in a hospital with critical abdominal injuries.

Police admitted the firing was unprovoked and said a constable has been suspended. However this failed to pacify the residents who continued to hold pro-freedom and anti-India demonstrations till late in the night.

With normal life paralysed for last 81 days in Kashmir the fresh blood-letting by the government forces have dashed any hopes of a respite.