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General strike in Srinagar over custodial death

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

A general strike in the summer capital Srinagar against the alleged killing in custody of an autorickshaw driver crippled normal life for the second consecutive day.

Police used teargas and batons to maintain law-and-order after angry protestors shouting slogans against the unilateral ceasefire of the central government threw stones in several localities.

From early on Saturday morning authorities had made elaborate security arrangements in the tense capital city. Police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel were deployed in sensitive areas.

Youths shouting pro-freedom and anti-ceasefire slogans came out on the streets in Maisuma, Batmalo, Qamarwari and other localities. The police had a tough time restoring order.

Police sources said black flags were hoisted in several downtown areas.

Trouble had erupted on Thursday after police recovered the body of an autorickshaw driver, Bilal Ahmed, on the city bypass road. The residents of Gonikhan say two Sikh youths, who they claimed were members of the state police's special operations group, had boarded Ahmed's vehicle and gone towards the bypass.

Police have maintained a silence over the mysterious killing. As the body was brought to Gonikhan, thousands of people came out on the streets protesting against the killing. Local traders called for a four-day general strike in the area. Autorickshaw drivers, who blame the SOG for what they say is a recent spate of custodial killings in the city, also called for a "wheel jam" on Saturday. The other transport organizations supported the call.

Local residents say that after the statement of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, wherein he was quoted as having told the police to "shoot militants at sight" as he has no more space in the state's jails, the SOG has let loose a reign of terror in the city.

"Where is the ceasefire? It is on the Line of Control where the shelling has halted. Inside Kashmir they pick up innocent youths in broad daylight only to return their bodies. This ceasefire has brought only misery for the people here," said Mohammad Abdullah, a college lecturer.

PTI Adds: Two militants of the Lashker-e-Tayiba were killed and three persons, including a CRPF jawan, were injured in different militancy-related incidents in Poonch, Udhampur and Doda districts of Jammu division since Friday, official sources said.

Two LeT militants were killed in an encounter in Pathanapir area of Poonch district. They have been identified as Abu Jindal and Abu Ajad.

The recoveries from the encounter site included one Kalashnikov rifle, three magazines and 50 rounds, one pistol with three magazines, three hand-grenades and one wireless set.

In another incident, two youths were injured when an old mortar shell exploded in a shop in Udhampur town on Friday evening.

The youth were trying to extract copper from scrap in the shop when the explosion took place, the sources said.

Reports from Doda said one CRPF jawan was injured in an encounter with militants in the Dachan area.

UNI Adds: Two militants were among four people killed and ten others injured in the valley in overnight encounters.

Official sources said militants fired upon a security patrol party at Bandipora late on Friday night with automatic weapons and grenades.

The forces fired back. In the nightlong encounter two militants were killed and some houses damaged. Two Kalashnikov rifles, four grenades and 100 rounds were recovered from the slain militants.

The sources said a powerful improvised explosive device went off at Sopore on Saturday morning. There was no immediate report of any casualty or damage to property.

In downtown Srinagar, two security men and eight civilians were injured when militants hurled a hand-grenade at security forces on Friday evening.

The sources said militants shot dead one Bashir Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Sumbal in Baramulla district, on Saturday morning while the body of one Abdul Rehman was recovered at Matepora in the southern Kashmir district of Anantnag.

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