Teenage boy killed in fresh firing by Army on protesters in Kashmir

Srinagar: A teenage boy was killed and three others wounded on Friday during fresh firing by the Army firing on a group of protesters in Jammu and Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district.

Police sources and witnesses said that soldiers of Army’s 47 Rashtriya Rifles opened fire on protesters at Natnusa, a remote village of Kupwara, on Friday afternoon, injuring five persons.

One of them 18-year-old Arif Hussein Dar, a resident of neighbouring Awura village, died on way to hospital. The three seriously injured have been brought to a Srinagar hospital for specialised treatment, the sources said.

Read: Kashmir firing: Death toll mounts to 3; curfew imposed in Srinagar, Kupwara

The Valley is on the boil since Tuesday when three civilians including a budding cricketer and a woman were killed and a few others wounded in security forces’ firing on irate crowds which took to the streets in north-western Handwara and soon turned violent after alleged molestation of a 16-year-old student by an Army jawan.

As the protests spread to other areas of the Valley following the bloodshed, another youth was killed when hit in the head by a teargas canister in neighbouring Dragmulla area on Wednesday.

Read: Kashmir firing: Army orders probe as Mehbooba Mufti demands strict action

Amid heightening tensions and in view of the people simmering with anger, the authorities imposed curfew-like restrictions in several parts of the region including summer capital Srinagar and Handwara which continued on the third consecutive day on Friday.

A 48-hour shutdown called by separatist parties and various social groups and Kashmir bar council paralysed life in rest of the Valley on Wednesday and Thursday.

Though there was no strike call for Friday, many areas which were not under curfew or security lockdown remained shut for the third day (Friday). The Internet services also remained suspended partially and the rail services within the Valley have been suspended too.

Read: Budding cricketer among 2 killed in Army firing on protestors in J&K's Handwara

 The authorities said that mobile Internet services were suspended on the second consecutive day on Friday in the interest of peace and tranquillity. After the handwara incidents, many people took to social networking sites to vent their anger. Also photographs and videos of security forces’ “atrocities” were being uploaded on Facebook and Twitter.com and circulated through WhatsApp. Rail officials said that the rail services were suspended within the Valley for security reasons.

On Friday afternoon, protests were held at various places across the Valley against the recent killings in security forces’ firings and teargas shelling. At places, protests including at Natnusa turned violent, prompting the security forces to use force, officials said.

Various separatist leaders and activists were earlier placed under house arrest or detained in police stations after they were taken into “preventive custody’ by police. Meanwhile, ailing separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has issued a strike call for Saturday to mourn and protest the latest killing in Army firing.