Summary The puppet authorities continued to impose strict curfew and other restrictions across Kashmir.
SRINAGAR (Web Desk / AFP) - In occupied Kashmir, hundreds of people were injured on Saturday due to the use of brute force by Indian troops to prevent people from staging demonstrations against civilian killings and conducting a march towards Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar.
A youth was martyred while over two hundred people were injured, many of them critically, due to the brutal actions of Indian forces on peaceful protesters across the Kashmir Valley, yesterday.
Call for the march towards Badami Bagh Cantonment was jointly given by Hurriyet leadership to hand over a letter to the General Officer Commanding of 15 Core of Indian Army, asking the Indian forces to vacate Jammu and Kashmir. They have also asked the people of occupied Kashmir and all over the world to mail the letter, which was released by Syed Ali Gilani yesterday, to Indian Armed forces and paramilitary forces.
The puppet authorities continued to impose strict curfew and other restrictions across the Kashmir Valley on the 51st consecutive day, today, while all roads leading to the Badami Bagh Cantonment were sealed. Defying curfew, people took to the streets in Srinagar, Baramulla, Pattan, Pulwama, Bandipora, Islamabad, Kulgam and other areas and raised high-pitched pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans.
Indian police and troops fired pellets, bullets and teargas shells to disperse the protesters at various places injuring hundreds of people.
Indian police arrested the All Parties Hurriyet Conference Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani, outside his residence in Srinagar when he defied house detention and tried to lead the march. He was lodged at Humhama police station. The authorities detained Mirwaiz Umar Farooq at Cheshma Shahi sub-jail in Srinagar while other leaders including Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Bilal Siddiqui, Mukhtar Ahmed Waza and Zafar Akbar Butt remained under detention.
Meanwhile, death toll in the ongoing Kashmir Intifada has risen to 86 with the martyrdom of one more youth. The youth, Shahnawaz Khan, had jumped into River Jhelum after he was chased by Indian forces in Sangam area of Islamabad district, yesterday, and his body was fished out, today. Thousands of people attended his funeral prayers, raising slogans in favour of freedom and against India. The Muslim community in Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu region observed shutdown, today, against civilian killings in the Kashmir Valley.
In a surprising development, Radio Kashmir Srinagar went off the air yesterday and consequently several popular programs could not be broadcast.
Media reports said that this is for the first time that Radio Kashmir Srinagar went off the air, and the incident happened before the scheduled march called by joint Hurriyet leadership to government-run radio and TV stations.
Interestingly the joint resistance leadership has asked people to stop the employees of Radio Kashmir, Doordarshan and State Information department from attending to their duties.
Joint resistance camp has urged people to block all roads leading to Propaganda machinery viz Doordarshan, Radio Kashmir and Information Department.
The occupied territory is on the boil since the extra-judicial murder of the top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, Burhan Wani, by Indian troops on July 8.
Atleast 86 people have been killed while over 80,00 injured so far in the firing of bullets, pallets, and teargas shells on peaceful protesters by Indian troops and police personnel.
Many of those injured have been hit in the eyes with pellets, causing partial or complete blindness.
It is being termed as the worst violence to hit the Himalayan region since 2010.
Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan along a UN-monitored line of control, but both claim it in full and have fought two wars over its control.
Freedom fighters have fought Indian security forces in Kashmir since 1989 for the independence of the region or for it to be made part of Pakistan.
The conflict has left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead.
