Girl among 3 killed in J&K army firing

Three civilians, including a teenage girl, were killed when the army opened fire on protesters in Redwani area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Saturday.

The police said troops fired upon protesters after they tried to disrupt a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Hawoora area of Redwani, Kulgam, 70 km from here. Six people were injured in the incident.

The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, where three of them were declared brought dead, a health official said.

The deceased have been identified as Shakir Khanday (22), Irshad Ahmad (20) and Andleeb (16).

However, locals refuted the police version saying the clashes broke out as security forces detained several youths in the area, after which local residents resorted to stone-pelting.

Reports said thousands of people participated in the last rites of the slain civilians with a group of militants appearing at the funeral several times and offering a gun salute to the dead. With the Valley already tense ahead of the second anniversary of Burhan Wani’s killing and shifting of Asiya Andrabi to Delhi by the NIA, the latest killings have put the region on edge.

Authorities ordered the suspension of internet services in Kashmir to prevent the spread of rumours and more protests while intra-Kashmir train services were also suspended.

After Governor’s rule was imposed in the state on June 20, this is the first such incident in the Valley, where three civilian protesters were killed in security forces firing.

Governor N N Vohra chaired a meeting after the civilian deaths to review the security in the region.

Meanwhile, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper was wounded in a grenade attack in Hyderpora area of Srinagar on Saturday. Reports said that a grenade was lobbed at a CRPF party near the flyover in Hyderpora, leaving a trooper wounded. They said that forces cordoned off the area soon after the attack.