1 dead, 2 hurt in CRPF firing after fresh protests in Shopian

Srinagar: A youth was killed and two others were injured in firing by security forces as fresh protests today rocked Shopian township, where CRPF firing on Saturday had claimed four lives, official sources said. Rafiq Ahmad Rather was killed when CRPF personnel allegedly opened fire to disperse protestors outside their camp at Gagran village, 52 km from here, they said. A large number of people had assembled outside the camp to protest the killing of four persons, including three local youth, by CRPF troopers last Saturday. [caption id=“attachment_1101805” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Shopian killings have created a huge furore. IBNLive. [/caption] The protestors were demanding removal of the CRPF camp and arrest of the personnel involved in the “cold blooded murders”. At least two persons were also injured in the clashes and elsewhere in the town as security forces fired warning shots and teargas shells and used batons to restore law and order, the sources said. Soon after the death of Rather, the protestors went on the rampage and set ablaze the official residence of a senior officer in the town, they said. Curfew was imposed in the south Kashmir town on Sunday following widespread clashes between security forces and agitated residents after the killings. It was lifted this morning. However, a spontaneous strike was observed in the town with all shops and business establishments closed and transport off the roads. Soon after curfew was lifted, people gathered at various places to lodge their protest against the killings leading to fresh clashes. While CRPF claimed that the four men were killed in retaliatory action after they attacked the personnel outside Gagran camp, the locals contested the statement claiming the deceased were civilians and were killed in “unprovoked firing”. Police investigations revealed that three of the slain youth had no militant link but identified the fourth deceased as Pakistani militant Abdullah Haroon. A pistol and two grenades along with a mobile phone used by Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) were recovered from the possession of the slain militant. PTI