Over a dozen protesters, securitymen injured in Kashmir (Roundup)

SRINAGAR - Over a dozen people, including five security men, were wounded in clashes at various places in the Kashmir Valley Monday while an irate mob torched the office of a National Conference (NC) leader in north Kashmir.

Shops, educational institutions, public transport, banks, post offices and business establishments remained closed across the Valley because of official restrictions and a separatist-called shutdown.

Authorities had imposed curfew in entire Srinagar city and some other towns like Pulwama, Anantnag, Kakpora and Sopore while restrictions had been placed at other towns to prevent violence, even as hardline separatist Hurriyat group, headed by Syed Ali Geelani, had called a shutdown Monday as part of the group’s Quit Kashmir programme.

“The overall law and order situation in the Valley was under control and by and large peaceful today,” a police here said.

Four people, including a youth who sustained a laceration injury, were injured in Tengpora area of Srinagar when a stone-pelting mob clashed with troopers of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), which was inducted in the city early this month to ensure that riotous mobs are dispersed without causing any life threatening injury to anyone.

“Three people were injured in the Tengpora incident, but none of them has suffered a serious injury. The youth who suffered a laceration wound had probably hurt himself with a sharp object while being chased away by the security forces,” a police officer said here.

Clashes between protesters and security forces also took place in Kokernag and Anantnag towns of south Kashmir in which four protesters sustained injuries as baton charges and tear smoke shells were used to disperse the mobs.

Stone pelting mobs also took to streets at Harwan, Shalimar, Bemina, Kralsangri, Sopore and a few other places.

“Five security men also sustained injuries during the day’s clashes, but no protester or security men suffered any serious injury,” a police officer said.

A woman was reportedly hit by a tear smoke shell in Shalimar area of Srinagar, but police said she had slipped inside her house.

At many areas in Srinagar city and across the Kashmir Valley, people offered prayers on the road defying curfew and restrictions imposed by the authorities there, but security forces did not intervene to prevent them.

An unruly mob torched the office of the NC district president in north Kashmir’s Bandipora town in the afternoon. Reports said later the mob also ransacked the NC leader’s house.

A total of 57 civilians have been killed, mostly in firing by security forces, in the ongoing unrest here since June 11.