Heavy stone pelting in shutdown-hit Srinagar

SRINAGAR - Heavy stone pelting in the Jammu and Kashmir summer capital over the death of a schoolboy three days ago triggered panic Wednesday and prompted the authorities to beef up security.

Police and paramilitary reinforcements were moved into the sensitive areas of the old city early in the morning and the movement of pedestrians in some localities was restricted, police said.

While separatists had called a shutdown Tuesday to protest the boy’s death from a tear gas shell Sunday, youths in the old city said it would continue for four days.

There were clashes between the protestors and security forces, who resorted to tear gas firing and a baton charge. Shops and businesses are shut in the city and public transport is off the roads.

As trouble spread to the uptown localities of Rambagh, Natipora, Nowgam, Maisuma and Batmallo, the authorities deployed more units of the security forces to quell the protests.

Despite tight security arrangements, groups of stone-pelting youth took to the streets in parts of the old city in the afternoon and clashed with the police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troops who intervened to restore order.

Anantnag, Shopian and Baramulla towns witnessed more clashes Wednesday, leading to the closure of shops and traffic in these towns.

Police used baton charge and tear smoke to disperse the stone-pelting youth.

“The overall situation in the capital city and other towns is peaceful barring a few incidents of stone pelting,” said a senior police officer.

The 13-year-old boy died after being hit by a tear gas shell in old city area Sunday. His relatives said the boy had not been part of any stone-pelting mob. His classmates said he had been playing cricket in a field, when the ball fell into a lane and he was hit by a tear gas shell when he went to collect it.