SRINAGAR: People on Friday protested in different parts of Kashmir valley while at many places youth threw stones at Police and clashed with government forces.
Clashes broke out in old Srinagar where Police used force to disperse angry protesters and Police rounded up at least two protesters who were allegedly throwing stones at an armored vehicle.
Syed Ali Geelani and Shabir Shah had appealed people to stage demonstrations against the proposed Hindu pilgrimage to the environmentally fragile Kousar Nag.
The situation in Srinagar city remained peaceful, however clashes between protestors and government forces were reported from Nowhata near Jamia Masjid. Scores of youth clashed with police at Nowhatta after the Friday prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid were over.
Top Police official in the area Tahir Saleem said a group of youth resorted to stone pelting “But we exercised maximum restraint while dealing with these protestors.” The witnesses said that the protestors also raised anti-Israel slogans and demanded immediate cancellation of government order to conduct yatra to Kousar Nag via South Kashmir route. Police reportedly used few tear-smoke shells to disperse the protestors.
Peaceful protests were reported from South Kashmirs Bijbehara, Anantnag and Pahalgam town. Police said that some youth resorted to stone-pelting at Gorivan Bijbehara, however, the situation according to police was brought under control after police chased them away.
In South Kashmirs Tral town, police arrested two youth from Bus Stand Tral when they were allegedly throwing stones at an armored vehicle. Protestors resorted to stone pelting and raised slogans against India and Israel.
In North Kashmir, minor stone-pelting incidents were reported from Sopore, Palhalan Pattan and Baramulla town. Scores of youth after Friday prayers clashed with police while police burst tear-smoke shells to disperse them. A police official said that barring few stray incidents of stone-pelting, situation in North Kashmir remained peaceful.
Situation in Central Kashmirs Ganderbal and Budgam remained peaceful and no untoward incident was reported from any part of these two districts.
Chairman of Hurriyat G Syed Geelani has called for a shutdown on Saturday against the Kousar Nag pilgrimage proposed by an extremist Kashmir Pandit group.
Geelani, in a statement on Friday, said the yatra was purely a political project that was aimed the atmosphere of communal harmony.
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