Srinagar: A day after Education Minister Altaf Bukhari assured students that their colleagues will be released provided that don’t hit to roads, students at many places on Monday hit to roads and clashed with government forces, prompting police make many more arrests.
Students blocked the road at Umarabad HMT and amid pro-freedom slogans pelted stones on the government forces. Eyewitnesses told CNS that an army convoy was too stuck in the jam after students completely blocked the road for vehicular movement. Witnesses added some students pelted stones on the army vehicles while soldiers retaliated with aerial firing. “Army personnel shot couple of bullets in air creating panic among jam stricken commuters.
A police official however said that few tear-smoke shells were used to disperse students who had taken hundreds of commuters’ hostage.
Reports from South Kahsmir’s Tral town of Pulwama district said that police arrested at least 8 students during clashes on Monday morning.
Witnesses said that the students of Boys Higher Secondary school and Degree College Tral staged protests and pelted stones on an army vehicle at Bus Stand Tral. Police deployed in the area used tear gas to disperse the protesting students, triggering clashes.
During the clashes at least 7 students were detained while the clashes forced shopkeepers to down their shutters. Life according to reports was completely disrupted after the clashes. A police official said that some students were detained as they tried to enforce shutdown in the town. “They resorted to stone-pelting and tried to enforce shutdown. Police swung into action and detained some of them,” he said and claimed that no force was used to disperse the protesting students.
The detained students have been identified as (1) Sameer Ahmad Lone of Pastona, Naveed Ahmed Shah of Bhatnoor, Suhail Ahmed Mir and Amir Akram Dar, both residents of Lurgam, Abu Musa Bhat of Gulab Bagh, Irfan Ahmed Bhat of Nawdal, Naseer Ahmed Ganai of Chewaullar and Fayaz Ahmed Chopan of Luraw.
Reports from Newa Pulwama said that a large number of students hit to roads and clashed with government forces. The students protest according to reports was spontaneous. Reports said that several students felt unconscious after government forces resorted to massive shelling. An 11th class female student was wounded when a stone hit her head.
Student clashes were also reported from frontier district Kupwara. Reports said that students of Higher Secondary School Qalamabad in Langate staged a protest against the use of force on agitating students across Kashmir since past three weeks.
Witnesses said that the protesting students tried to march towards main chowk Qalamabad but the government forces restored to heavy tear smoke shelling to disperse them. The clashes which continued for hours disrupted normal life in the area.
Reports from Central Kashmir’s Budgam district said that hundreds of students of different private schools held a protest and blocked the road at Aripanthan against the detention of a 6th class student. The protest from students disrupted traffic movement on the roads.
The protesters said that 10 years old boy Sahil Ahmad Dar, a student of Al Falah Public School was arrested by police last week. The protesting students both boys and girls chanting pro-freedom and anti-India slogans and holding placards depicting “reha karo reha karo Sahil bhayi ko reha karo” blocked the road for hours.
Pertinently, Kashmir have been witnessing student protests since the Pulwama incident when government forces barged into Degree College Pulwama resulting in the injuries of more than 50 students. (CNS)
