Students stage demos against killings, clash with police
Srinagar: Campuses erupted in valley on Saturday over the civilian and militant killings, popping up a major challenge for the government forces to control the law and order situation.
On Saturday, student protests erupted at Kashmir University (KU) against the killing of seven civilians and three militants in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
An eyewitness said the students from various departments boycotted their classes soon after the news about killing of civilian and militants spread in the campus. The students assembled outside Humanities department of the varsity and started a peaceful march in the campus.
Amid slogans the students demanded an end to the “bloodbath” in the valley particularly south Kashmir districts.
Three militants and a soldier were killed on Saturday in a gunfight in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, while seven civilians died after forces opened fire on protesters in subsequent clashes in the area.
The students assembled outside the Humanities Block and started a peaceful march towards the VC secretariat. The students were shouting pro-freedom slogans and also offered funeral prayer in absentia for the slain civilians and militants.
Massive clashes also broke out between the students of Government Degree College (GDC) Sopore and government forces after the former staged demonstrations against the civilian killings in Pulwama.
Soon after the clashes erupted, the shopkeepers downed their shutters and public transport went off the roads in Sopore main market because of the clashes.
In the meantime, clashes also erupted between the students of Amar Singh College and the forces in Srinagar city. The students came out on roads and held protest against the civilian killings. The JK Police teams reached the spot and tried to chase away the students triggering clashes in the area, witnesses said.
In wake of this, the college authorities decided to suspend the class work and vacated all the students from the college.
KV Correspondent
