At least eight people were killed and dozens of others were injured as clashes broke out in several parts of Kashmir on Saturday, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani was gunned down in Anantnag. State police said almost 100 security personnel were injured during the clashes, and three police officers are missing.
Protestors pelted stones at police posts and police stations at Bandipora, Qazigund and Larnoo in Anantnag district. A mob also reportedly attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Nilo-Bugam area of Kulgam district. Baramulla district too saw violent protests after Wani’s killing. Curfew-like restrictions were imposed in Srinagar city, and police had to fire smoke shells to quell protests in many places, reported Tribune India. Mobile internet has also been blocked in the state.
Reports also said several separatist leaders were placed under house arrest, including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Mohammad Yasin Malik. Trains running between Baramulla in the Kashmir valley to Banihal town in Jammu were suspended, and the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was also closed. The Amarnath Yatra, which was suspended on Saturday, will resume soon, said Assistant Director General of Police, SM Sahai.
A crowd of around 20,000 people gathered at Wani's funeral in his home town, Tral, in south Kashmir. Security forces were withdrawn from the burial ground to prevent any untoward incident.
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