Srinagar, Feb 26 (KMW: While curfew continued in Lalpora on Wednesday, situation remained tense else were in the frontier district of Kupwara, where seven militants were killed in an encounter with security forces on Monday evening. Several people were on Wednesday injured after police burst teargas and resorted to lathicharge to disperse protestors at Trehgam in Kupwara.
However, official sources said there were only restrictions under Section 144 CrPC in Lalpora, where massive protests broke out yesterday after locals alleged that seven militants killed by the Army at Dardpora on February 24 were locals who had gone to forest area for collecting herbs and hunting.
A senior Army officer and Deputy Inspector General of Police, North Kashmir dismissed these allegations and said all the seven were foreign militants belonging to Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT).
Pertinently, hundreds of people from different parts of the district assembled in Trehgam, pelted stones and shouted pro-freedom slogans. The protestors blocked the main road demanding the identity of the militants by made public. According to sources, violent clashes between protestors and security forces have also been reported in Handwara, main chowk Kupwara and Golchakar Kupwara.
Though no organisation called for strike, shops and business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the roads in main Kupwara and adjoining areas. Work was also affected in the offices due to strike.
Meanwhile, several people including one photo and one video journalist were on Tuesday critically injured after police burst teargas shells and resorted to aerial firing to disperse protestors at Lalpora in Kupwara. Thousands of people, including women, had gathered outside the police station at Lalpora, Kupwara, demanding that the identity of militants killed by the Army at Dardpora Lolab in Kupwara should be made public.
Alleging that security forces staged a fake encounter at Dardpora in Lolab, local people on Tuesday said that seven persons from the area, who had gone to the forest to collect herbs and hunting, have not returned.
However, rejecting allegations that the seven people killed in an encounter with security forces at Dardpora in Lolab were civilians, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police North Kashmir JP Singh said all of them were foreigners.
DIG police Singh said all the seven persons killed in an encounter were foreign militants. “The bodies were handed over to local Auqaf who buried them,†he said adding that anybody having any doubt can see the photographs of militants. However, he said police has registered a FIR and started investigation. Seven militants were killed in Dardpora Kupwara woods in north Kashmir on Monday.Â
