Police Foil JKLF Sit-in

SRINAGAR: The overnight arrest of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik sparked violent protests in Maisuma and city centre Lal Chowk on Friday while scores of youth clashed with police and para-military CRPF causing disruption of vehicular movement in the business hub.

JKLF had called for a sit-in near clock-tower Lal Chowk on Friday against the random arrest of youth and the beef ban in the state. Police arrested Malik during nocturnal raid and foiled the sit-in of Front activists on Friday.

Shortly after Friday prayers, scores of youth attacked government forces with stones. The agitated youth fought pitched battles with the government forces in city centre Lal Chowk as they emerged from the lanes and bye-lanes of Kokar Bazar and Amira Kadal areas. During the clashes a photo journalist Shah Jahangir was wounded while he was covering the pitched battles between police and protesters.

Police used tear-smoke shells to disperse the protesting youth. A police official said that some miscreants tried to disrupt the peace and attacked police with rocks. We exercised maximum restraint during the clashes, he said.

Clashes also erupted after Friday prayers in restive Nowhatta area of old Srinagar city where a video journalist from New Delhi based news channel Firdous Wani was wounded when a stone hit his head while he was covering the clashes. Wani received four stitches in his head. Police used tear smoke shells to disperse the protesters. The clashes between protesters and police continued for hours resulting in the disruption of normal business.

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