Police barracks near Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar burnt after Eid prayers

SRINAGAR - Separatists torched a police barrack outside the Hazratbal shrine shortly after Eid prayers on Saturday

The procession, which was heading towards Lal Chowk, was being led by Hurriyat group chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq. The state government squarely blamed Farooq for the disturbance and violence.

The authorities had hoped that the Eid prayers would pass off peacefully after the lifting of curfew the day before.

Police, however, had to fire shots in the air to contain the violence. No one was hurt.

Government sources said a close aide of the Mirwaiz, Shahid-ul-Islam, had called a senior official in Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s office requesting permission for the march, saying it was a political necessity. They also said that Shahid-ul-Islam had given a commitment that the event would pass off peacefully.

Based on Islam’s request, Omar Abdullah overruled security agencies and politicians to allow the march to take place.

However, the mob turned hostile in Lal Chowk, and the Mirwaiz and his aides quickly disappeared from the scene. (ANI)