A group of youth today indulged in stone-pelting after police fired in air in self-defence on hearing a "suspicious sound" and mistaking it to a militant attack in Pulwama district of south Kashmir.
"A suspicious sound was heard at Muran Chowk at around 1420 hours following which the police deployment in the main town fired around 10 rounds in self-defence, mistaking the noise as a militant attack," a police officer said.
He said the aerial firing caused panic in the busy area as shopkeepers abandoned their shops and rushed to safety along with pedestrians and vehicle operators.
However, as the situation emerged and it was clear that the blast was apparently caused by a firecracker, a large group of youth indulged in stone-pelting on the security deployments.
Police immediately swung into action and chased away the protesters, the officer said, adding the situation returned to normal after an hour-long clashes between the two sides.
