Civilian killed during clashes near encounter site in Pulwama

Mangalore Today News Network

Srinagar, Aug 1 2017 DH News: A civilian was killed and several others injured as clashes erupted near encounter site at Hakripora village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Tuesday.

Two militants, including most wanted Lashker-e-Toiba(LeT) commander Abu Dujana, were killed in the encounter that lasted for several hours. Reports said massive clashes erupted in Hakripora and adjacent villages as the news of Dujana’s death spread in the area.

Witnesses said that security forces opened fire to disperse the protesters, resulting into injuries to at least six civilians. One of them, identified as Firdous Ahmad Khan, who had received a bullet in chest succumbed at district hospital Pulwama.

Reports said a spontaneous shutdown was witnessed across Pulwama against the killing of Dujana and his associate Arif Lalhari. Reports of students taking to streets in southern Kulga district were also received. Similar, reports were also recieved from north Kashmir’s Handwara area where students clashed with security forces after news of killing of Dujana spread.

Fearing more trouble, authorities suspended mobile Internet services in Pulwama and some other areas of south Kashmir. A senior police official said the services were suspended to contain the spread of "rumours" over the Internet.

Stone pelting protests at the encounter sites has emerged as a major problem for security forces in Kashmir in last one year forcing Army Chief General Bipin Rawat to issue a warning in February that the civilian protesters obstructing encounters, would be treated as "over ground workers of terrorists" and dealt with "harshly."

However, despite warnings and new strategies, security forces continue to face stiff resistance from local population during encounters with militants across Kashmir. The trend, which emerged from south Kashmir in 2014, gained momentum across Kashmir following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen poster boy Burhan Wani by security forces in July last year.