Youth booked under PSA, Pampore protests

Srinagar: Violent protests against the arrest of a youth on charges of stone pelting continued for the second consecutive day, Wednesday in Pampore area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.Correspondent from south Kashmir said that amid a complete shutdown, scores of people, mainly youth took to streets for the second consecutive day today in Pampore town early this morning and staged pro-freedom and anti-India demonstrations. Chanting slogans, the people were protesting the arrest and subsequent slapping of Public Safety Act (PSA) against a youth.The youth- Bilal Ahmad Sofi, son of Bashir Ahmad of Namblbal Pampore was arrested by police on Tuesday for his alleged role in stone pelting on CRPF troops and police during last year’s summer unrest. He was instantly booked under the PSA and shifted to Kathua Jail.Correspondent said that chanting pro-freedom slogans and demanding the release of the youth, the protesters tried to march through Namblabal, Kadlabal, Drangbal and other areas of the saffron town. However, the CRPF troops and police, deployed in strength in advance, resorted to cane charge to disperse the protesters.In retaliation, the protesters pelted rocks and stones on the forces sparking off clashes. The clashes near the bus stand Drangbal affected the movement of traffic on Srinagar-Jammu highway, the only road link connecting Valley with rest of the world for over an hour. A police spokesman said that a student, Mohammad Yasin Rather, son of Mohammad Wahid Rather of Sonawar was injured when he was on way to the college. “Yasin is a student at KCEF Law College Pulwama. He was traveling in a college bus along with other students, when the stone hit him on head. The injured student was shifted to SK Institute of Medical Sciences-(SKIMS), Soura, Srinagar for treatment,” the spokesman added.Meanwhile, a complete shutdown was observed in the town for the second running day today. All shops, private and government offices, educational institutes remained closed, even as no pro-freedom group had called for a shutdown.Senior Superintendent of Police (SP) Awantipora, Mohammad Irshad told this news agency that the youth has been arrested for his role in creating law and order problem in the town. He said the youth has at least ten cases registered in the police station. “He was an active stone pelter. He not only participated in stone pelting last year, but was trying to revive it this year as well. We arrested him and booked him under PSA,” Irshad said.