Protesters Knock UN Gates, Teargassed

Srinagar: Police and paramilitary forces used tear smoke shells to stop a group of protesters from submitting a memorandum to the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in Srinagar on Friday.
The UN office, located at high security Gupkar here, later turned into a battle zone.
According to eyewitnesses, as soon as Friday congregational prayers ended in the local mosques at Sonwar, hundreds of people tried to march towards nearby UN office to submit a memorandum.
As they reached at the gates of the UNMOGIP office, the deployed police and CRPF fired tear smoke shells on the protesters to disperse them.
Soon after large number of people came out of the nearby Sufi shrine of Syed Sahab and started raising slogans seeking interference of United Nations in Kashmir.
Within minutes the area turned into a battle zone as many of the protesters climbed the Koh-e-Sulaiman hillock giving tough time to the government forces. The protesters from the heights pelted volley of stones on the policemen. The stones also caused some damage to an adjacent hotel behind the UNMOGIP office. Few stones landed in the UN premises as well, eyewitnesses said.
Forces should have allowed us to submit a memorandum. What is the UNMOGIP office then here for, when we are not allowed to approach them. They cant crush our voices like this, said a protestor, adding, plebiscite is their birth right.
Eyewitnesses said that forces swung into action to disperse the youth who in turn pelted stones on them. Forces used tear smoke shells to disperse the youth, they said.

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