CRPF jawan hurt in fresh clashes in J&K

A Central Reserve Police Force jawan was injured in fresh clashes between security forces and protesters here over the controversial land transfer to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board even as life in the city and other major towns of the Kashmir valley remained crippled for the fifth day on Friday.

Constable Manoj Jayanth was wounded when protesters hurled stones at securitymen at Batamaloo locality in Srinagar, sources said.

Over 4,000 people assembled at Soura Chowk and started marching towards Nowhatta where pitched battles have been fought between protesters and police for the past four days against use of force by securitymen against demonstrators opposing transfer of forest land to SASB.

Another group of over 3,000 people was led by Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik from Chotta Bazaar area of the city towards Lal Chowk area, they said.

A large number of people assembled at Buchpora in the outskirts of the city and raised slogans against the government for transfer of the forest land.

Dal dwellers joined the protests in a novel way by taking out a rally of around 100 shikaras (house boats) inside the lake.
 
Three persons have been killed and nearly 250 others including 50 policemen injured in the police firing and clashes between stone pelting demonstrators and law enforcing agencies during the past five days.

Shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed while public transport were off the roads in all the districts paralysing life, sources said.

In the absence of transport, attendance in the government and semi-government institutions, banks and post offices was thin, they said.

Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in strength to maintain law and order.

Fearing trouble, government has ordered closure of all educational institutions in the district on Friday and Saturday, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Aijaz Iqbal said.

The call for Friday's strike was given by the six-member action committee spearheading the ongoing agitation for revocation of the government order diverting 39.88 hectares of forest land to SASB.