Sopore, Kashmir - Police attacked after killing 2 boys and wounding many demonstrators with bullets and teargas

kashmir times

June 28: Two boys were killed in CRPF firing at Sopore and Delina today while excessive force including firing, tear gassing and lathicharge was used by both police and CRPF to foil the march to Sopore. At least 20 persons received bullet injuries in firing by cops at five places. Over 100 persons were injured in the clashes.The Srinagar-Baramulla road was virtually turned into a battle field between the men in uniform and protestors recreating the Muzaffarabad Chalo scene of 2008 on the highway. While the cops fired bullets and teargas shells at will, the protestors attacked them with stones, rocks and lathis. At some places the men in uniform had to run for their lives but they finally succeeded in dispersing the march near shrine at Narabal.Amid a spontaneous general strike the separatist leadership including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mohammad Yasin Malik, Javid Ahmad Mir and Shahid-ul-Islam were either arrested or placed under house arrest.Thousands of people took to streets in old city and some Civil Lines areas of Srinagar in the late afternoon and evening hours and held demonstrations against the killings. At some places, police and security forces had to use force to disperse them. Tajamul Bashir Bhat, 20, son of Bashir Ahmad of Wadoora village of Sopore was critically injured when CRPF troops opened fire on protest demonstration outside the Kapra Cinema, the headquarters of CRPF, this morning. A bullet hit Tajamul in the throat. He was rushed to hospital, but succumbed to injuries on way. Reports said that CRPF opened fire on the procession of the people who returned after the burial of Bilal and killed Tajamul. Earlier, CRPF troopers and police used force, burst tear smoke shells and fired hundreds of bullets in the air at Seelo village on the outskirts of Sopore to disperse a protest rally. The protestors were on way to curfew bound Sopore to participate in the funeral of Bilal Ahmad Wani who was shot dead by CRPF last evening in Sopore. At least fifteen people were injured in the incident.