ONE KILLED IN PULWAMA POLICE FIRING, VALLEY TENSE

Tensions grew in parts of Kashmir Valley in the aftermath of the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Riyaz Naikoo with his home district Pulwama being the epicentre of clashes between irate crowds and security forces.

At least one person was killed and 19 others were wounded in the police firing and use of pellet shotguns and teargas against protesters and stone-pelting mobs in Baigpora where the encounter in which Naikoo was killed along with another militant on Wednesday and its neighbourhood took place. The slain civilian has been identified as Jehangir Yusuf Wani, a resident of Uthmula village of Pulwama.

Hospital sources said that 32-year-old Wani who was brought dead had received bullet wounds on his chest, abdomen and leg. The injuries in others were mainly in their lower limbs, the sources said.

The authorities said that the clashes remained restricted to Pulwama and a few other pockets of the Valley. They said that most of these incidents were “minor” in nature and, therefore, “negligible”.

Mobile internet remained suspended across Kashmir on the second consecutive day on Thursday. The authorities have snapped also mobile services barring those provided by the state-owned BSNL.

The corpse of Naikoo was buried secretly by the police at an undisclosed place late on Wednesday night. Curfew-like restrictions remained in place in south Kashmir districts including Pulwama.