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Curfew extended in Srinagar as protests continue

The indefinite curfew imposed in Kothi Bagh and Maisuma police station areas on Friday has been extended to several other areas of the Civil Lines and uptown Srinagar as demonstrations continued across the valley.

Unidentified gunmen shot dead Gul Mohammad Khan, younger brother of separatist leader Nayeem Khan, chief of the Jammu & Kashmir National Front, at Pattan in Baramulla district on Friday evening.

Official sources said curfew was also imposed in Natipora, Ram Bagh, Batmaloo, Lal Chowk and Hari Singh High Street areas early on Saturday following violent demonstrations on Friday.

Curfew was imposed in the areas under Kothi Bagh and Maisuma police stations after one person was killed and five others were injured when security forces opened fire to disperse demonstrators protesting against the firing at Haigam that left five persons dead and 18 injured on February 15.

The demonstrators at Haigam were protesting against the alleged custodial death of Jaleel Ahmed Shah, a Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front leader.

Police burst teargas shells and resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse a stone-pelting mob, which violated curfew restrictions at Natipora on Saturday morning.

Ten persons, including two police personnel, were injured in the incident.

Maisuma was largely peaceful on Saturday with heavy deployment of security forces strictly enforcing the curfew.

Police had to use teargas shells to disperse slogan-shouting and stone-pelting mobs at Habba Kadal, Karan Nagar, Nullah Mar, Ikhwan crossing and several downtown areas on Saturday.

The demonstrators blocked main roads and burnt tyres at several places, disrupting traffic.

A report from Baramulla said several hundred people took to the streets at Haigam and blocked the Srinagar-Uri highway on Saturday morning. The demonstrators, raising anti-military and anti-government slogans, again protested against the alleged custodial killing of Jaleel Ahmad Shah and the firing on February 15.

It said people in Baramulla also took to the streets on Saturday morning protesting against the incidents of firing at Maisuma and Haigam and custodial killings in the valley.

Meanwhile, two youths identified as Farooq Ahmad Gujari and Riyaz Ahmad Bhat were injured during a demonstration in downtown Srinagar.

Official sources said a group of counter-insurgents allegedly fired at the youths at Zampakadal-Chhatabal seriously wounding them. They were admitted to hospital.

Meanwhile, most local newspapers could not bring out their editions on account of curfew restrictions as the authorities had not issued curfew passes to newspaper staff.

Kashmir University has postponed all the examinations that were to be held on Saturday.

The authorities have directed employees of the water works, health and power development departments to report for duty. Their identity cards will be considered curfew passes.

Meanwhile, life in the valley remained crippled for the second day on Saturday on account of the two-day general strike called by the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference in protest against the firing at Haigam and the alleged increase in custodial killings in the valley.

Shops and business establishments remained closed and streets wore a deserted look in the curfew-free areas with only security forces deployed on both sides of the road.

Work in government offices, banks and post offices was disrupted.

Agencies

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