Youths clash with police after Friday prayers in Srinagar

Soon after the Friday prayers ended at the Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta, a group of youths came out on the streets displaying posters of Burhan Wani, commander of the separatist guerrilla outfit Hizbul Mujahedeen. As the youths tried to take out a protest march, a large posse of CRPF and state police intercepted them triggering clashes, which are still going on in the area.

Security forces used batons, tear smoke shells and pellet guns to disperse the youth, <g data-gr-id="21">who</g> however, kept on regrouping ensuing violent clashes continued in the area.

Panic gripped people in the area as shopkeepers pulled down shutters and traffic came to a halt.

Clashes between stone-pelting protesters and security forces have become routine for the last some months in this area. Wani has emerged as a poster boy of militancy after his pictures were flashed on social networking sites, purportedly uploaded to give <g data-gr-id="23">flip</g> to <g data-gr-id="24">separatist</g> insurgency in the state.

Meanwhile, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire twice overnight by resorting to small arms firing and mortar shelling along the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Poonch districts, drawing retaliation from the Army. “Pakistani Rangers fired two burst of small arms and two mortar shells on posts along IB in R S Pura sector of Jammu district around 0200 hours”, a senior BSF officer said.