Cops launch crackdown against stone pelters

In a bid to end over a month-long unrest in Kashmir, security forces have started a major crackdown against stone pelters and separatists by arresting more than 1,000 youths.

Sources said most of the arrests have been made in the worst hit districts of south Kashmir’s Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian. “Over 500 youths have been arrested from these districts in the past one month,” they said, adding the police raids have forced hundreds of youths to go into hiding, while people across Kashmir stay awake during the night to foil the arrests.

On Sunday, Kashmir’s Inspector General of Police Syed Javed Gillani admitted in an official handout that more than 1,000 youths have been arrested in a month. Independent sources, however, said over 1,300 youths have been lodged in police stations so far.

Gillani said that over 1,000 cases have been registered for violence. “In all, 1,018 incidents of violence were reported during this period. 1,030 FIRs stand registered in different police stations across the Valley”, he said.

People complained that frequent nocturnal raids by the police and paramilitary CRPF have triggered panic across the Valley. They said the Special Operation Group sleuths  of the Jammu & Kashmir Police and CRPF are carrying out joint nocturnal raids to arrest youths who have been involved in stone-pelting or have been part of anti-India protests since the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

To foil the raids, people in almost all areas of Kashmir remain awake nowadays. “When security forces arrive for raids, we resist,” residents of old city Srinagar said.  60 injured as protests continue

At least 60 people were injured in fresh clashes in Kashmir as protests continued across the Valley on Tuesday, DHNS reports from Srinagar. Curfew and restrictions continued for the 32nd day in a row. Reports said in the evening that men and women were simultaneously holding protest demonstrations in Vesu and Qazigund in Anantnag district when security forces appeared on the spot and fired pellets to break the demonstrations.