Kashmir live: J&K announces Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia relief

5.30pm: Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia relief, job for victims’ next of kin Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir today announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia relief to the next of kin of the four persons killed in the security forces firing in Gool area of Ramban district. The relief was sanctioned at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar. The meeting also ordered appointment of one member from each bereaved family in government service on compassionate grounds, an official spokesman said. PTI 5.16pm: FIRs against BSF, cops over Ramban firing Jammu: Three FIRs have been registered against BSF officials and state police personnel in connection with Thursday’s firing in Ramban district which left four persons dead. “We have registered three FIRs at Gool police station in connection with yesterday’s firing,” IGP (Jammu), Rajesh Kumar said in Jammu today. Based on complaints from locals, these FIRs have been registered under various sections and police were already looking into it, he said. PTI 5.00pm: And now protests spill over to Hyderabad… [caption id=“attachment_970177” align=“alignleft” width=“620”] Darsgah Jihad-o-Shahadat activists holding placards and Holy Quran during a protest in Hyderabad on Friday against the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran by BSF personnel at Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir. PTI [/caption] 4.50pm: BSF vacate Dharam camp, police take over Jammu: After Thursday’s firing which led to death of four persons, BSF troops today vacated its Dharam camp and handed the facility over to police. Troops at BSF camp in Dharam have been moved to Battalion area in Ramban district and the facility has been handed over to police forces today, a BSF officer said. The move was taken in view of tensions after Thursday’s incident, he said. Four persons were killed and 44 others, including security personnel, injured in stone-pelting and resultant firing when a mob attacked a BSF camp in Ramban district over alleged high-handedness by a BSF team. Police have registered three FIRs against BSF officers and cops in connection with the firing incident. PTI 3.43pm: In protest, Kashmir youth renounces state award Srinagar: A young innovator from Kashmir today returned a state award as a mark of protest against the firing incident in Ramban that left four persons dead and several others injured. “I have decided to renounce the award conferred to me by the then Governor of Jammu and Kashmir SK Sinha in the field of social service as a scout,” Mirza Idreesul Haq Beigh said in a statement. He said it was painful to see that religious and cultural rights of the people of the state were being violated inhumanly under the cover of laws like AFSPA. PTI 3.15pm: All quiet on a deserted Srinagar street [caption id=“attachment_969795” align=“alignleft” width=“620”] A deserted view of Jehangir Chowk during curfew in Srinagar on Friday. Authorities imposed curfew in the wake of protests after four people died in BSF firing on Thursday in Gool village of Ramban district. PTI[/caption] 2.57pm: Angry Omar lambasts media for inflated death toll Taking strong exception for flashing a higher death toll than the official one, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today lamented about the “inaccurate” reporting by some sections of the media. The allegedly incorrect reporting about the deaths in the firing incident at Ramban does not help in improving the situation on the ground, Abdullah said. “As deeply as I regret yesterday’s deaths, the inaccurate reporting of death toll is unprofessional and certainly does not help us on the ground,” the chief minister wrote on Twitter. https://twitter.com/abdullah_omar/status/358138636396535809 https://twitter.com/abdullah_omar/status/358139059048157184 https://twitter.com/abdullah_omar/status/358139675371769857 Many TV news channels and websites of leading national newspapers were reporting a higher death toll in the firing incident than the official figure of four. PTI 2.53 pm: Mobile services restored in Jammu & Kashmir Mobile services have been restored in Jammu & Kashmir although curfew has still not been lifted. Mobile and Internet services in the state were suspended on Thursday after BSF firing killed six people in Ramban. 2.13 pm: Victims of BSF firing buried in Ramban The bodies of four of the victims killed in the Ramban firing incident were buried today with several people gathered at the graveyards to mourn their death. The bodies of the deceased were buried at their ancestral graveyards in Gool belt of Ramban district this morning, a police officer said. Prayers were offered by families of Manzoor Ahmed Shah, Abdul Latief, Javed Ahmed and Farooq Ahmed as their bodies were buried at graveyards in Gool, Dharam and Jasmalan. Several people participated in the burial ceremonies and offered their prayers at the graveyards. Families of the deceased had first refused to remove the bodies from the camp site to protest against the firing, but after state minister Ajaz Khan’s intervention the bodies were lifted late night and allowed to be sent for post-mortem 1.30 pm: Death toll rises to six The death toll from the BSF firing in Ramban has risen to six as tensions remained high in the valley. Two more people succumbed to injuries sustained in the incident, when members of the paramilitary forces fired into a crowd of protestors. Fresh protests have also broken out in several areas. The people had reportedly been protesting over reports that BSF troops had desecrated the Quran, a charge that the BSF vehemently denies. 11.13 pm: Srinagar-Jammu national highway closed for second day Traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway has remained closed for the second consecutive day. The highway has been closed for vehicular traffic as a precautionary measure, a spokesman of the Traffic department told PTI. Traffic on the highway was suspended yesterday after protests at Ramban, Ramsu and Banihal against the killings. Although stranded vehicles were allowed to move towards their destinations at 6.00 pm last evening after curfew was imposed in Ramban district, no vehicles were allowed today, the spokesman said. Officials said authorities are monitoring the situation and a decision to allow traffic on the highway - the only road linking Kashmir with rest of the country - will depend on the emerging law and order situation. 10.47 am: Govt halts Internet, mobile services With the Amarnath Yatra halted in the wake of tensions arising from the death of four people in BSF firing, the Jammu & Kashmir state government have suspended mobile and Internet services. This comes even as separatists called for a three day strike to protest the deaths. 10.00 am: Amarnath Yatra halted in Kashmir as tensions rise The Amarnath Yatra from Jammu has been halted, amid continuing tensions in the Kashmir Valley after four people were killed in firing by the Border Security Force in the Ramban area on Thursday, according to reports on NDTV . The channel said that the pilgrims who have already reached Jammu from various parts of the country for the yatra have been lodged at various camps for now. There is curfew in major towns in the valley after widespread protests over the Ramban firing incident. Security has been ramped up. Separatists have called a three-day bandh starting today. [caption id=“attachment_968925” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image: Reuters[/caption] 9.45 am: BSF braces for tense day of protests following death of four protestors Following the death of four protesters in Jammu’s Rambam districts, the BSF is bracing itself for massive protests in the valley. Tensions are running high although the BSF has submitted that claims it desecrated the Quran are false. It has also said that they fired into the crowd of protestors in ‘self defence’. IG Rajiv Krishnan said the trouble started when they questioned a 25-year-old youth who was ‘behaving suspiciously’. The youth, reportedly, starting arguing with the forces and soon a mob gathered around the personnel. Sensing trouble, the BSF men say they backed off. However, a statement by the BSF said that Mohammad Latif, the youth, then spread rumours about the BSF tearing up the Quran which led to the protests. According to  The Times of India , there are several versions of the incident doing the rounds. While some say that the BSF men ransacked a school, beat up a teacher and tore up a Quran, others allege that the security personnel entered a mosque a created a ruckus over the loud recital of prayers. While Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has promised strict action, the security forces are bracing for massive protests, especially as it is the Ramzan month. 8.30 am: Omar Abdullah condemns killing of protestors Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the killing of protestors in Ramban area of Jammu region and said such incidents had the potential to jeopardise the peaceful atmosphere in the state. “It is highly unacceptable to shoot at unarmed protesters just because they were reportedly protesting manhandling of an Imam of their area” Omar said in a statement. He said there was no justification or rationalisation of this “deplorable” act. “This shocking act warrants and demands the severest of condemnation in the strongest possible terms,” he said. Extending his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, the Chief Minister cautioned the people that some vested interests would like to exploit the situation.