One more youth was killed today in a clash between a stone-pelting mob and security forces in Kashmir, raising the toll in the five-day unrest to 35, even as Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed "great sadness and sorrow" over the deaths and promised a "healing touch".
Shattering the peace during most of the day, clashes erupted this evening at Harnag in Koimoh with a group of youth pelting stones on passing vehicles of security forces.
In retaliatory action by the security forces, one youth was injured, officials said, adding he succumbed while being shifted to hospital. This raised the toll during the five-day unrest to 35.
As soon as the news of death of the youth spread, angry protesters set ablaze a forest hut at Khannabal in Anantnag district town, the officials said.
In another incident, a youth was injured when security forces opened firing at Koil in Pulwama district to disperse a mob which was pelting stones at Indian Air Force base, the officials said.
They said Reyaz Ahmad Padder was admitted to District Hospital Pulwama where his situation is stated to be stable.
Earlier, barring some incidents of stone-pelting, Kashmir was relatively calm through the day as curfew remained in force in some parts of Kashmir, including Pampore and Kupwara towns, restrictions were in place on movement of people in the rest of the Valley.
A police spokesman said barring "some incidents" of stone pelting at various places, the situation "remained under control" in the valley.
The stray incidents of stone-pelting were reported from Khudwani, Kulgam, Iman Sahib, Shopian and Kakpora in south Kashmir, Kralpora, Kupwara, Trehgam, Langate, Lalpora, Putkha Sopore and Main Chowk Sopore in north Kashmir, he said.
Reaching out to people, Mehbooba sought their "support in pulling J&K out of the vortex of violence and bloodshed."
She said she needs people's support in realising the dream of a politically-emancipated, economically self-reliant and socially secure Jammu and Kashmir.
"The 27-year-long violence has left deep wounds in almost each home here and we have to jointly safeguard our state and our people from further bloodshed and destruction," she said after paying homage to the martyrs of 1931 at the Martyrs graveyard in Khawaja Bazar area of downtown Srinagar.
Commenting on the current unrest, Mehbooba said, "My heart is overwhelmed with great sadness and sorrow as a result of the killings in the latest spate of violence in Kashmir."
Asserting that "I won't let the people down, despite facing a challenging task", she said, "While my government's immediate priority would be to reach out to the affected families with a healing touch, in the long run a concerted effort shall have to be launched to make peace and stability a reality in J&K, with youth being the focus of the government's welfare initiatives.
