Srinagar: Violence in Kashmir Valley escalated further on Sunday when eight persons were killed in separate incidents with five of them perishing in a blast after explosives went off in a police station set
afire by a mob.
With the eight deaths, the number of people killed in
the fresh wave of violence since Friday has risen to 14.
In New Delhi, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met
tonight for the second time under a month to take stock of the
situation in Kashmir Valley.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister appealed for calm and
asked political parties and leaders to cooperate with the
government to bring back peace in the state. He vowed to deal
sternly with law breakers and the perpetrators of violence,
asserting that he will not allow them "to win".
Five civilians were killed and 35 others injured when a
mob set afire a police station, where explosives
were stored, triggering a massive blast in Khrew area on
outskirts of Srinagar city, police said.
A mob had laid siege to the police station, 20 kms from
here, and started pelting stones after which additional forces
were rushed to the area who rescued the police personnel in
the police station.
Police said a loud explosion took place as the
protesters set afire the abandoned police station, where some
explosive materials besides a cooking gas cylinder were also
kept.
In Khrew earlier in the day, protesters attempted to set
afire a police post and take away the weapons. As the crowd
refused to calm down, police fired at them leading to the
death of a woman identified as Afrosa.
Barring Handwara, Baramulla town, Budgam, Awanitipora
and Ganderbal, curfew remained in force in rest of the Valley
for the second day.
In other incidents, two persons were killed as police
opened fire to disperse mobs who blocked a national highway
on the city outskirts.
The situation in saffron-rich area of Pampore turned
ugly when agitators blocked NH-1A at a number of places
by erecting barricades from Pantha Chowk to Pampore, a police
spokesman said.
The mobs blocked the highway at Galandar, Kadlabal,
Barsoo, Frastabal and Pampore and also torched office-cum-
residence of a tehsildar. They set afire a police vehicle and
damaged several others.
The protesters snatched weapons from local court guards
and also indulged in heavy stone pelting on a police station
and security personnel, the spokesman said, adding the
situation turned worse when suspected terrorists fired on the
personnel from amongst them.
After a baton charge and tear gas shelling failed to
disperse the mobs, police opened fire to quell them. While
Nayeem Ahmad Shah died on the spot, two others sustained
injuries.
A number of policemen including a Deputy
Superintendent of Police of Awantiopora suffered injuries.
Another person Raees also succumbed to his injuries later
in the hospital.
PTI
First Published: Monday, August 02, 2010, 00:00