15 injured as mobs defy curfew to indulge in stone-pelting

Srinagar, July 15: Many parts of Kashmir today saw clashes as mobs defied curfew to indulge in stone-pelting, along with which a police station was attacked with grenade and firing, leaving 15 people, including eight security personnel, injured in the incidents.
Due to trouble in Kashmir, the Amarnath yatra continued to be suspended for the second consecutive day.
Authorities had imposed curfew in all the 10 districts of Kashmir valley apprehending trouble since it was the first Friday after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Wani on this day last week.
However, mobs defied curfew at many places, including in Baramulla, Sopore town, Rafiabad, Bandipora district, Kulgam district and Pulwama district, a police official said, adding 10 people, including three security personnel, were injured in these incidents.
A patrol party of security forces was attacked by a mob with stones at Delina in Baramulla district this morning, injuring three security personnel, the official said.In retaliation, security forces opened fire in which three civilians were injured. Condition of all the injured is stated to be stable, he added.
A mob indulged in stone-pelting in Sopore and in the retaliatory action, four persons sustained pellet injuries.
Yaripora area of Kulgam in south Kashmir saw a grenade attack followed by firing on a police station during stone- pelting, resulting in injuries to five police personnel, the official said.
“Someone from the mob hurled a grenade towards the police personnel during stone pelting on police station Yaripora. The grenade attack was followed by firing also,” he said.
Police has been saying that militants merge with stone- pelters to carry out attacks on security personnel, using civilians as a shield.
Curfew had been imposed as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order in the valley where 36 people have died and over 3100 others, including 1500 security personnel, injured in the week-long clashes following Burhan’s killing in an encounter in Tral.
The decision to impose curfew was taken as there were apprehensions that vested interests might exploit the large gatherings at Friday prayers to instigate fresh violence, an official said.
Due to curfew, friday prayers could not be offered in many prominent mosques in the valley. The mosques where prayers could not be offered included the historic Jamia Masjid, Naqshband Sahib shrine and Dastageer Sahib shrine in Srinagar.
Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in strength across the valley for strict implementation of the prohibitory orders, the official said.
In the wake of “acute food shortage” in violence-hit Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Food Ministry on Friday assured the state authorities that it will provide advance three-month rations for public distribution in the valley. The Food Ministry officials said here that a team of officials of the state government and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) will be set up for assessing the feasibility of establishing modern foodgrain storage system in the state.
“As Kashmir is facing acute food shortage, the Centre has assured to provide an advance three-month ration for public distribution in the valley,” Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said in a series of tweets.
He said the central government will examine the state government’s demand for allocation of extra 4.30 lakh million tonnes of foodgrains “at lower rates”.
Officials in the Food ministry said the state has currently been supplying food grain through public distribution system (PDS) on a monthly basis.
“J&K had launched a new scheme in which five kg foodgrain are distributed to each ration card holder over and above current entitlement under the National Food Security Act (NFSA),” Paswan said.
Paswan held a meeting on Thursday with Jammu and Kashmir Food Minister Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali.
Officials said the state needs annually 7.51 lakh tonnes of foodgrain under the National Food Security Act. It has sought an additional 4.30 lakh tonnes of grain at lower rates.
Henceforth, about 1.87 lakh tonnes of foodgrain will be supplied three months in advance to PDS beneficiaries in Kashmir.