Fresh violence in Kashmir, two killed in police firing

Two persons were on Friday killed and two others injured as police opened fire and lobbed teargas shells to quell stone-pelting mobs in Kupwara and Baramulla districts of north Kashmir. Ali Mohammad (65), who was seriously injured in Pattan in Baramulla district during a clash this morning,
succumbed to injuries at Soura Medical Institute in Srinagar.

"The victim had received a fire arm injury and succumbed to his wounds," Deputy Medical Superintendent of SKIMS Riyaz Ahmad said.

Pattan, 27 kms from here, witnessed a violent clash when the locals defied curfew and tried to block the Srinagar-Baramulla National Highway. Police fired teargas shells and used batons to disperse the protsetors, official sources said.

Muddasar Ahmad (23) was killed and two others injured when police opened fire to disperse an unruly mob at Kralpora-Trehgam, 150 kms from here, in Kupwara district.

Raising slogans, protestors took out a procession in the frontier town this morning and clashed with law enforcing agencies when they asked them to disperse, a police spokesman said.

The injured, one of whom was identified as 50-year-old Janaat Begum, have been admitted to a local hospital. The condition of both of them was stated to be stable, he said.

The spokesman said to maintain law and order, curfew has been imposed in Kupwara town.

He said barring Pattan, Baramulla, Handwara and Kupwara towns, there was no curfew anywhere else in the Valley.

In Srinagar, groups of youth pelted stones on security forces at Sheraz Chowk, Rangar Stop, Zaldagar and Boohrikadal in old city but there was no report of any casualty.

Life in the Valley remained disrupted as shops and business establishments, educational institutions and private offices remained closed and transport was off the roads in response to the separatists' call for strike.