<p>Violent clashes occurred in several parts of the Kashmir Valley on Monday over the death of Zahid Bhat, a truck conductor who was injured in a mob attack in Udhampur on October 9.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Bhat was laid to rest on Monday. A resident of Anantnag in South Kashmir, Bhat was badly burnt after a mob attacked his truck with petrol bombs over the rumours of cow slaughter. Showkat Ahmed, the driver of the truck, was also injured and admitted in hospital. <br /><br />Twenty-one-year-old Bhat breathed his last in Safdarjang Hospital in New Delhi on Sunday and his death evoked spontaneous protests and clashes with angry youths taking on the security forces on the streets.<br /><br />While separatists, transporters and traders called for a strike in Kashmir against the incident, the authorities imposed a curfew-like restriction in eight police station areas of Old Srinagar and placed the separatist leaders under house arrest.<br /><br />All roads leading to Bijbehara, the native area of Bhat, were also sealed.<br /><br />Mourners defy orders<br /><br />However, thousands of mourners participated in Bhat’s funeral procession defying the restrictions.<br /><br />Eyewitnesses told Deccan Herald over phone that soon after the funeral prayers, groups of youths attacked the troopers and policemen with stones. <br /><br />“The forces hurled tear-gas canisters to disperse the protesters. But the protesters regrouped and continued renewed assaults on the forces in which some of them also suffered minor injures,” they said adding a youth was also seen carrying a Pakistani flag during the funeral procession.<br /><br />Cops, CRPF deployed<br /><br />Hundreds of police and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force personnel wearing riot gears were deployed in various parts of the old city to prevent people from staging protests.<br /></p>
<p>Violent clashes occurred in several parts of the Kashmir Valley on Monday over the death of Zahid Bhat, a truck conductor who was injured in a mob attack in Udhampur on October 9.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Bhat was laid to rest on Monday. A resident of Anantnag in South Kashmir, Bhat was badly burnt after a mob attacked his truck with petrol bombs over the rumours of cow slaughter. Showkat Ahmed, the driver of the truck, was also injured and admitted in hospital. <br /><br />Twenty-one-year-old Bhat breathed his last in Safdarjang Hospital in New Delhi on Sunday and his death evoked spontaneous protests and clashes with angry youths taking on the security forces on the streets.<br /><br />While separatists, transporters and traders called for a strike in Kashmir against the incident, the authorities imposed a curfew-like restriction in eight police station areas of Old Srinagar and placed the separatist leaders under house arrest.<br /><br />All roads leading to Bijbehara, the native area of Bhat, were also sealed.<br /><br />Mourners defy orders<br /><br />However, thousands of mourners participated in Bhat’s funeral procession defying the restrictions.<br /><br />Eyewitnesses told Deccan Herald over phone that soon after the funeral prayers, groups of youths attacked the troopers and policemen with stones. <br /><br />“The forces hurled tear-gas canisters to disperse the protesters. But the protesters regrouped and continued renewed assaults on the forces in which some of them also suffered minor injures,” they said adding a youth was also seen carrying a Pakistani flag during the funeral procession.<br /><br />Cops, CRPF deployed<br /><br />Hundreds of police and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force personnel wearing riot gears were deployed in various parts of the old city to prevent people from staging protests.<br /></p>
