Seven killed in police firing at Anantnag

By Our Special Correspondent

JAMMU, APRIL 3. Seven persons were killed and 15 injured when police opened fire on a procession of slogan-shouting people in Anantnag town of south Kashmir today. Later, an indefinite curfew was imposed in the town.

The trouble began when a procession of hundreds of people from nearby villages was heading towards Anantnag town protesting against the alleged killing of five persons in an ``encounter'' with security forces at Panchal Taran on March 25.

At Brakpora, three km from Anantnag, some among them threw stones at a camp of the State police's special operations group. The demonstrators also shouted slogans against the security forces and the Government. In the retaliatory firing by the SOG personnel, seven persons were killed and 15 others injured. Soon, residents from adjacent villages rushed to the site and took out another procession condemning the police action.

The authorities then imposed an indefinite curfew and issued shoot-at-sight orders as tension prevailed in the town. The Minister of State for Home, Mr. Mushtaq Lone, and the Director General of Police, Mr. Gurbachan Jagat, rushed to Anantnag .

Sit-in dharna

Earlier, the Democratic Freedom Party chief, Mr. Shabir Shah, staged a sit-in dharna in Anantnag's Lal Chowk area to protest ``the fake encounter'' at Panchal Taran. When the police tried to arrest him, he resisted and was injured in the scuffle. Later he was taken into custody along with several supporters.

In Srinagar, Maulvi Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman of the All Party Hurriyat Conference was placed under house arrest to prevent him from going to Anantnag to take part in the protest demonstration. However, a number of his supporters gathered in Rajouri Kadal area of the capital and threw stones at the police. Police resorted to lathicharge and later burst teargas shells to disperse the mob. It may be recalled that Anantnag and surrounding areas had been on a strike for the last five days in protest against the disappearance of five persons.

The police firing at Brakpora has been widely condemned. The CPI(M) State unit secretary and MLA, Mr. Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, demanded a judicial probe into the incident. The People's Democratic Party leader, Ms. Mehbooba Mufti, described the action as barbaric. The PCC vice-president, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, also condemned the action.

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