Violent clashes break out in North Kashmir's Trehgam two days after youth was killed in army firing

Violent clashes took place on Friday in Trehgram area of the frontier Kupwara district, where a youth was killed and another wounded in army firing  on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_4735361” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Relatives of the youth who died in army firing on Wednesday evening. Mohammad Abu Bakar[/caption] The clashes broke out when the CPRF and police tried to stop groups of youth from marching towards the graveyard to offer Fatiha at the grave of Khalid Gafar Malik. “This infuriated the youth, who pelted rocks and stones on the government forces. The forces burst teargas canisters and used pellets to disperse the protesters,” witnesses said. The groups were mobilised after offering congregational Friday prayers. On Wednesday, the soldiers  opened fire when a group of youth at Zargar Mohalla in Trehgam pelted stones on an army party passing through the area. The youth was killed in this firing. Just last week, three civilians, including a teenage girl , were killed in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district allegedly after security forces opened fire on protesters. As per data from the police and human rights organisations, at least 53 civilians were killed in the past six months during anti-militancy operations. Many of them were killed while they were trying to help militants escape from encounter sites. From January to the end of May, 37 civilians were killed. As many as 16 people were killed in the past month, three of them on 7 July. A report of Amnesty International has noted that in Kashmir, ’the impunity for human rights abuses has persisted.’ It said that government forces are resisting civilian trials. The report noted that in June 2017, a General Security Forces court acquitted two BSF soldiers of killing 16-year-old Zahid Farooq Sheikh in 2010.