Pulwama, Sep 03: A youth was killed and another injured after government forces allegedly fired on protesters during clashes in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday.
The government forces launched a massive cordon-and-search operation in over a dozen villages including Murran, Dodora, Shengerpora, Mitregam, Goosu, Frispora, Rohmu, Bellow and Kachipora Monday morning, following information about the presence of militants in the area, a police official said.
During the search operation, a group of youths started pelting stones at the government forces in some places. Two persons were injured in firing by the forces during clashes in Gusoo village, officials said.
They were taken to a hospital, from where one of them, Fayaz Ahmad Wani, son of Mohammad Ahsan Wani was referred to the SMHS Hospital here. Wani was, however, declared dead at the hospital, officials said.
Clashes between the protesters and security forces were going on when last reports came in. The search operation is in progress, they added.
Meanwhile, after three rounds of funeral prayers, Wani was later laid to rest at his native village Chewa-Kalan amid pro-freedom slogans, witnesses told ‘Kashmir Images’.
“We received five persons with bullet and pellet injuries. Among them one succumbed to his injuries; he had suffered a bullet injury in the head,” said Medical Superintendent Pulwama, Abdul Rashid Para.
Wani a postgraduate in English was working at a private pathology lab near District hospital Pulwama.
Showkat Ahmad, a close friend of Wani, said, “Fayaz never indulged in stone pelting and even today we were not part of stone pelting.”.
Wani was the youngest of his five siblings and his father Mohd Ahsan is a farmer by profession.
This is the second massive crackdown over past two years, earlier on May 4, 2017 government forces cordoned off twenty villages of district Shopian in South Kashmir.
PDP man escapes bid on life
Srinagar, Sep 03: A Peoples Democratic Party worker had a narrow escape when unknown gunmen fired upon him at a village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday afternoon.
Reports said that gunmen fired upon Mehraj Ahmad Parra, an active PDP worker at his native village of Naira Pulwama.
However, he escaped unhurt, they said.
