Two people were killed and 45 more were injured in clashes between protestors and security forces across the Kashmir Valley on Saturday, bringing the death toll in the state to 77, The Indian Express reported. While 26-year-old Sayar Ahmad Sheikh was killed after being hit on the head with a tear gas shell fired at demonstrators in Shopian district, Yawar Bhat reportedly died after being injured by pellets fired in Botengoo village of the Anantnag district.
Thirty people were injured in Shopian and 10 in Anantnag. Five civilians were also injured in the Hiller Dooru village after security personnel fired pellets during a protest march. One of those critically injured in the incident was shifted to Srinagar for treatment. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti called the deaths “extremely saddening”, NDTV reported. “The doctors who are working in the Valley are doing it 24 hours without going home,” Mufti added.
The clashes came soon after the Army deployed its soldiers in four southern districts of the state, including Shopian and Anantnag. A senior army official said the decision to deploy their jawans in the South Kashmir districts was made after they noticed that the state police had “come under intense pressure in these areas” in the past two months. On Friday, curfew-like restrictions were re-imposed in parts of the Valley.
The ongoing crisis in the state began after Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani was killed on July 8. Thousands of people have been affected by violence and the shutdown of normal life in the state, where protests have lasted for over two months. The situation has also led to a deterioration in ties between India and Pakistan.
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