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Firing in air, tear gassing in Pulwama after killing

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 2/20/2014 1:06:28 PM

SRINAGAR, Feb 19: Army today claimed to have killed a militant in an encounter at Dalwan village in Charar-e-Sharief.
Reports said that after the incident, massive protest demonstrations were held by the people in the area. Police and security forces had to fire several rounds in the air and burst smoke shells to disperse the protestors. Three civilians and a cop were injured in the incident.
A defence spokesman, in a statement said, “This afternoon an Army party was moving towards village Dalwan in the jurisdiction of Police Station Chrar-i-Sharief, Budgam and reportedly came under fire. During the ensuing fire fight an unidentified gunman got killed from whose possession, one SLR, one pouch, four SLR magazines, 13 SLR rounds, one grenade and PAN Card was recovered. The PAN Card is in the name of Tauseef Ahmad Dar son of Ghulam Hassan resident of Pulwama. The police party has taken the possession of the body and is trying to ascertain the identity of the body.”
Some locals, however, alleged that the deceased was not a militant and was killed in cold blood after the RR and SOG cordoned off the village late this afternoon. The residents staged massive protests against the killing. The men in uniform fired several rounds in air and burst smoke shells. Six persons were injured who were later shifted to the nearby hospital. The locals alleged that the security men fired some shots towards protestors and one person sustained bullet injury. One of the injured identified as Bilal Ahmad Shiekh was shifted to SKIMS.
Reports said that protests and clashes erupted in Pulwama township after the rumours about the killing of a local militant in an encounter with forces in nearby Pakhapora area of Badgam district spread in the town. Forces resorted to teargas shelling and aerial firing to quell the protesting and stone pelting youth.
Reports said that as soon as the rumours about the killing of Towseef Ahmad Dar, son of Ghulam Rasool Dar, of Pulwama, spread in the town hundreds of youth in different localities of the town took to roads and staged protests. The angry youth, reports and witnesses said, attacked police station with stones. The forces, in retaliation, resorted to heavy teargas shelling to quell the stone pelting youth.
The protests and stone pelting, they said, soon spread to almost all the localities of the town including Murran Chowk, Tahab Chowk and Rajpora Chowk. Protests and clashes were on in the town when this report was being filed.
Authorities are likely to put strict restrictions in place in the town tomorrow to keep the situation under control.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG), south Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said that they are going to put the restrictions in place in the town tomorrow as a precautionary measure.
“The militant killed hails from the town. So there are apprehensions of violent protests in the area tomorrow. We may put the restrictions in place to keep the situation under control,” DIG said.