Srinagar: Groups of youth in interior parts of the city today resorted to stone-pelting shortly after the Friday prayers, prompting police to fire teargas shells and use batons to disperse them.
A policeman was injured in Nowhatta area of the city in the clashes, which started outside Jamia Masjid and soon spread to adjoining areas, official sources said.
"Nowhatta and its adjacent areas in the vicinity of Jamia Masjid wore a festive look today when some miscreants started pelting stones on the police deployment," a police spokesman said.
Chanting slogans, groups of youth pelted stones on police and paramilitary forces who were deployed in strength in the vicinity in view of Jumat-ul-Wida (last Friday of Ramadan), sources said.
They said the policemen fired teargas shells and used batons to disperse the protesters and the clashes between the two sides were going on when last reports were received.
Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq addressed a congregation at the historic mosque (Jamia Masjid) and demanded unconditional release of political prisoners and an end to alleged human rights violations in the state.
PTI
First Published: Friday, August 17, 2012, 20:00