Srinagar: At least five persons were
injured in fresh clashes between youths and police following
an attempt by activists of a women separatist organisation to
take out a march in defiance of curfew orders here, officials
said.
Activists of Dukhtaran-e-Millat led by their chief
Syeda Asiya Andrabi assembled at Mughal Mohalla locality of
Chattabal this afternoon and started a march towards Pather
Masjid in old city in response to a call given by hardline
faction of Hurriyat Conference, officials said.
As the burqa-clad women activists were moving ahead,
hundreds of youth joined them. However, police and
paramilitary forces stopped the processionists at Chattabal
bridge leading to clashes between the two sides, the
officials said.
Police and paramilitary forces fired teargas shells
and used batons to disperse the protestors, they said, adding
five persons, including a cameraperson of a local news
channel, were injured.
Reinforcements were rushed to the area to maintain law
and order.
Despite stringent curfew restrictions imposed by the
authorities, additional police and paramilitary forces
including women police have been deployed around Pather Masjid
located in Dalal Mohalla to prevent women from reaching there.
Barbared wire and armoured vehicles were placed around
the masjid and the forces deployed there asked to intensfy
patrolling, police said.
Meanwhile, life continued to remained disrupted in
Srinagar and other parts of the valley due to the curfew
restrictions, imposed in seven police station areas on June
28, with government offices, banks and educational
institutions remaining closed and transport services being off
the road.
On the other hand, the first batch of Amarnath
pilgrims comprising 1,272 people proceeded to the 3,880-m cave
shrine through the traditional Pahalgam and the shorter
Baltal routes this morning, officials said.
The pilgrims had reached the twin base camps of Nunwan
and Baltal from Jammu last evening. Additional security forces
have been deployed on both the routes to ensure safety of the
pilgrims.
-PTI
