One killed, dozens injured in Kashmir violence

Srinagar: A youth was killed in Srinagar city and over two dozen students were injured in south Kashmir Pulwama district in fresh violence in the Valley on Saturday.

A youth was killed in Srinagar after security forces allegedly opened fire at protesters late on Saturday. Police said it was looking into the circumstances in which the death took place.

Police sources said a youth identified as Sajad Ahmad, a resident of Tangmarg area in north Kashmir Baramulla district, was killed in Batmaloo area of the city, but denied any force deployment in the area.

"We didn`t have forces deployed in the area. We are investigating the matter," a senior police officer told IANS here.

Locals in the area, however, insisted that troops inside a paramilitary force vehicle fired after it was attacked by stone pelters.

"We are still investigating to ascertain the actual facts those led to the youth`s death. The area where the firing incident occurred is not even the designated route for the security forces to pass. There was no deployment of police and paramilitary in the area," a senior police officer said here.

High tension gripped in the Batmaloo and adjacent areas after the news spread.

Srinagar city had normally opened on Saturday and shops and other businesses were working till late evening in the city when suddenly everything came to a stan dstill after the incident.

In another incident, over two dozen students were injured in clashes with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir`s Pulwama town.

Police said Students of a local college objected to the setting up of a "Naka" (checkpost) outside the college and engaged in stone-pelting against the security forces, police said.

Security forces used tear smoke shells to disperse the protesting students who kept on re-grouping to engage the forces in pitched clashes.

Reports from the town said around two dozens students including some girls were injured in these clashes.

One of the protesting students was hit on the head by a tear smoke canister and has been shifted to the city for treatment.

Police has said the condition of the injured student was stable.