Kashmir tense over pellet-ridden body of 15-year-old

Srinagar: Curfew was imposed in Harwan area on Saturday in the wake of the death of a teenager in clashes last evening while the curbs continued in some other parts of the summer capital and two towns of Kashmir.

“Curfew has been imposed in Harwan area of Srinagar city this morning while it remains in force in five police station areas of the downtown (interior areas) city and Batamaloo,” a police official said.

A pellet-ridden body of a 15-year-old was found in Harwan area of the city late last night. He was injured in security forces action on protesters during the clashes in the area  on Friday.

The death, which took the toll to 89 in the ongoing Kashmir unrest, triggered massive demonstrations in Harwan and other nearby areas close to the famous Mughal garden of Shalimar.

The witnesses said the pellet-hit body of Moomin Altaf Ganai, 12, was found late on Friday in the Dachigam National Park, some 25 km from the city centre.

Residents said he had gone missing on Friday evening after protesters in the New Theed village of Harwan were chased by security forces.

“The boy was missing since Friday 5 p.m. Villagers searched for him in the area where the protesters were chased and found the body near the Dachigam gate,” Mubarik, a villager who gave only his first name, told IANS.

“The body clearly had pellet injuries and apparently bore some torture marks,” the villager said.

The official said curfew was also enforced in the towns of Badgam in central Kashmir and Pulgam in south.

Restrictions on the assembly of people continued in the rest of the Valley to maintain law and order, he said.

Shops, business establishments and petrol pumps continued to remain shut while public transport was off the roads.

Schools, colleges and other education institutions also remained closed due to the strike called by the separatist to protest the deaths of civilians.

Mobiles, telephone, except postpaid connections of BSNL, and the internet including broadband service continued to remain snapped across the Valley since 4 PM on September 12.

 

Restrictions were also imposed in other Srinagar localities as the Kashmri Valley continues to be on the boil for the 71st day on Saturday amid endless stone-pelting protests and counter-violence by security forces, triggered by the July 8 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

With PTI inputs