Tral, Apr 14, KMW: South Kashmi’s Tral area continued to remain on edge after overnight protests over the killing of a local youth in Army firing, clashes broke out amid stone-pelting and tear gas shelling, unknown agitated protesters snatched the service rifle of a CRPF jawan near Bus-Stand Tral, forcing government forces to launch an operation to recover the assault rifle.
Pertinently,Khalid Muzafar Wani, the brother of Hizb militant Burhan of Shariefabad Tral-e-Payeen according to Army was a listed OGW and was killed during an encounter in Kamal Tral on Monday, a claim contested by family of the slain youth. The killing sparked spontaneous protest in Tral and its adjoining areas. The intensity in protests increased after police recovered the body of a militant near encounter site and handed it over to locals. “We were informed by locals that a body in army uniform is lying in Kamala area. We rushed to spot and after fulfilling all the formalities handed over the body to locals. The slain militant who was apparently injured during Monday’s shootout was identified as Muhammad Younis Ganaie son of Nisar Ahmed Ganaie. He went missing on 6 April this month the day when former militant Rafiq Dada was attacked in Tral. The militant was involved in that attack and soon after carrying that attack, had joined militant ranks,†a police official told a Local News Agency.
Confirming that his son had joined militant group, the father of the deceased militant told Local News Agency that Muhammad Younis was missing from April 6 and soon after he along with his another son Umar Ganaie were called by police for questioning. “My son spent a night at police station after Younis fled from the home and joined militant ranks,†Nisar Ahmed said.
Reports said that thousands of people attended the funeral processions of these two local youth amid pro-freedom and anti-Indian slogans. Protest marches were organized in different areas of the town, women and children also joined the processions, eyewitnesses said.
The funeral prayers of Khalid Muzafar were offered by Maulana Noor Ahmed Trali, while Tehreek-e-Hurriyat leader Amir Hamzah offered the funeral prayers of Muhammad Younis. Both were laid to rest at martyr’s grave yard in Idgah Tral.
Soon after the funeral procession, scores of angry youth while protesting marched towards a 40 BN CRPF camp and attacked it with stones. The forces lobbed tear smoke shells to quell them, reports said. Some unknown protesters snatched the service rifle AK 47 from a CRPF Jawan of 40 Battalion who was present alongside of the road to maintain law and order.
Confirming the incident, a police official said that efforts are on to identify those involved in rifle snatching incident. He identified the CRPF jawan as Botha Lal vide Belt Number 831120103.
A complete shutdown was observed in Tral with all the shops closed while traffic was off the roads. Reports said that the clashes between government forces and protesters continued almost whole day during which at least 22 people were wounded.
Meanwhile Hurriyat G Chairman Syed Ali Geelani appealed people of Tral to observe a complete shutdown in the town of Wednesday while Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has called a shutdown for Pulwama district.
Separatist leaders including Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik and Muslim League Chairman Masrat Aalam were barred from visiting Tral town and detained by police near Awantipora.
A police official said that some youth tried to disrupt peace by pelting stones on the police; however, police exercised maximum restraint and dispersed them. He said the situation in the town is tense but under control.
