Curfew imposed in Kashmir; toll at 21 as 6 more killed today

Kashmir continued to be on the boil with six more people, including a cop, getting killed in violence on Sunday, raising the death toll to 21, even as curfew-like restrictions were in force and mobile internet services remained suspended.

As unrest continued in Kashmir in the aftermath of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen’s commander Burhan Wani on Friday, the State police on Sunday said it would like to avoid the killing of the youth and urged protesters not to resort to violence as it does not bring the right consequences.

“The situation as of now is better than yesterday. At some places, people have come out and we are dealing with it. We would like to control the situation to avoid the killings of the youth,” Additional Director General of Police (CID) S.M. Sahai said. | >Read more

Latest updates

# Pakistan is using religion as a weapon and exploiting the religious sentiments of Kashmiri youth, says United Kashmir People’s National Party spokesperson Nasir Aziz Khan

# Three grenades hurled by unidentified men in Pulwama on deployed security forces, two jawans injured, Pulwama SP said, adding that out of the three grenades, two exploded & one did not. Security forces were deployed after curfew imposition, he noted.

# Resumption of Amarnath Yatra depends on the situation in the State, once the conditions are conducive, yatra will resume, IG Danesh Rana said. "Have made endeavor that pilgrims aren't deprived of any comfort. We are in touch with our counterpart in Kashmir," he added.

# Kashmir remained on the edge with six more persons, including a cop, getting killed in violence, raising the death toll to 21. | >Read more

# A policeman is feared killed as mob pushes a police vehicle into the River Jhelum in Anantnag district, which is one of the epicentre of the ongoing violent protests.

# Two youths were killed in fresh clashes between the locals and security forces in Pulwama district on Sunday, taking the death toll to 18 (including a policeman). Apart from the 11 persons killed in the clashes during the day on Saturday, four persons, who were injured, succumbed to their injuries during the night.

# Curfew has been imposed in many parts of the Valley as a precautionary measure. Even as curfew-like restrictions remained in force, violence was reported from a number of places.

# The Amarnath yatra from Jammu remains suspended for the second consecutive day on Sunday, Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Simrandeep Singh, said on Sunday. However, the yatra from the base camps in Kashmir is on. | >Read more

# Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who took stock of the situation, spoke to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and assured her of all Central assistance to deal with the situation.

# The separatist leaders including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq continue to be under house arrest while Mohammad Yasin Malik is also under preventive detention.

# “The pain of Kashmiris has reached a level where the hope of peace is sure to gain substantial local support if tangible confidence building measures are taken to address the issues concerning the state and its people,” Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said in a statement issued on Saturday night.

# Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that extra-judicial killing of Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani and scores of other innocent Kashmiris is deplorable and condemnable and that Pakistan reiterates that resolution of J&K dispute is only possible by realisation of right to self determination of the J&K people.| >Read more

# BJP general secretary Ram Madhav termed the situation “unfortunate and saddening.” The leader party said restraint and calm should be the motto of the people and the police.“People in the valley should help bring normalcy. Restraint and calm should be the motto of people n police. Government wants peaceful and terror-free J&K for progress. “Loss of lives in South Kashmir unfortunate and saddening. We have too develop non-lethal ways of tackling such situations. Police too suffer heavily,” he tweeted.

On Saturday, eleven protesters were killed and over 120 persons, including 96 security personnel, were injured, as violent street protests erupted across the Valley after militant commander Burhan Wani was killed in a joint operation by security forces on Friday.

The top developments:

» News agency PTI reports that a Home Ministry official has confirmed that Amarnath Yatra, which was suspended following the clashes, has resumed. » The State has also requested for 30 paramilitary companies from the Centre to control the situation. » While phone services were snapped in large parts of south Kashmir, internet services remained suspended across the Kashmir Valley. All examinations and interviews have been cancelled and railway services suspended. » Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti have condoled the deaths of civilians and appealed for calm. » Speaking to reporters on the situation, Additional Director General of Police, CID, S.M Sahai, said eleven protesters had died in clashes as “The mobs either tried to enter or entered several security forces’ installations,” with the epicentre of the violence remaining south Kashmir’s Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama districts. » As Wani was laid to rest in his native Tral, violent mobs attacked police and paramilitary installations at various places in the Valley and set ablaze several buildings including three police stations. » Separatists have called for a valley—wide shutdown till Monday against Burhan Wani’s killing. » Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, the architect of the social-media driven psychological warfare in Kashmir, was killed along with two other militants in an encounter in Anantnag district on Friday evening. » Burhan Wani and his two local associates were cornered by security forces in Kokernag area and killed in an encounter. The militants hurled grenades and opened fire in a bid to escape, but the house where they were holed up was bombed killing all three, police sources said. » Burhan Wani, the face of new-age militancy in Kashmir, played a key role in making Hizbul Mujahideen stronger than the Lashkar-e-Taiba in the Valley.

(With inputs from agencies)