Clashes erupted as educational institutions re-opened in Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar: As colleges and universities opened on Monday after a week in the Kashmir Valley, students again clashed with security forces and resorted to stone pelting, officials said.

Students of the SP College assembled on the Maulana Azad Road and started pelting stones on security forces causing blockade of one of the busiest roads in Srinagar.

Police tried to prevent the students from blocking the road.

Sporadic clashes continued as security forces tried to restore traffic on the highway.

An official statement said all universities, colleges and higher secondary (Class 12 level) schools would open for academic activities in the valley on Monday.

These educational institutions had remained closed for over a week following widespread protests by students after security forces entered a college in south Kashmir`s Pulwama town on April 12.

Over 50 students were injured after they protested against a temporary check-post outside the college by the security forces.

The security forces attracted criticism after video clippings showing students being beaten inside the college premises by them, went viral on social networking sites.