ISLAMABAD: (APP) Hundreds of people were injured when Indian troops used brute force to prevent people from staging demonstrations against civilian killings and conducting a march towards Aaripanthan in Badgam on Friday.According to Kashmir Media Service, call for the march was jointly given by the All Parties Hurriyet Conference Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani, and Hurriyet leaders, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, to pay tributes to the four people martyred by Indian forces in Aaripanthan on Tuesday. The Hurriyet leaders had announced to offer Juma prayers in the area.
Defying curfew and other restrictions, people in large numbers took to the streets in Srinagar, Badgam, Ganderbal, Kangan, Beerwah, Bandipore, Kupwara, Islamabad, Bijbehara, Baramulla, Sopore, Palhallan, Pattan, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and other areas and held massive demonstrations against the killing spree unleashed by Indian police and troops in the Kashmir Valley.
They shouted pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans. They also waved Pakistani flags. Indian troops and police personnel fired pellets, bullets and teargas shells to disperse the protesters at various places injuring hundreds of people.
Hurriyet leader, Masroor Abbas, led a rally and a sit-in protest in Nawa Kadal area of Srinagar and the people of Bhaderwah area of Jammu region observed shutdown against civilian killings in the Valley.
The puppet authorities continued to impose strict curfew and other restrictions across the Kashmir Valley on the 42nd consecutive day, today, while all roads leading to Aaripanthan were sealed.
Indian police arrested Syed Ali Gilani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq when they tried to lead the march. Other leaders including Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmed Shah and Agha Syed Hassan Al- Moosvi Al-Safvi were kept under illegal detention to stop them from leading the march. People were not allowed to offer Juma prayers at Srinagar's historic Jamia Masjid and other major mosques of the territory. Indian troops beat up several newspaper hawkers in Srinagar when they were delivering newspapers in the city.