Srinagar:
At least 19 persons, including eight securitymen, were injured in separate incidents as violence over the killing of a teenager spread to some other districts during the separatist-sponsored general strike on Tuesday, official sources said.
Youths clashed with police and paramilitary forces in most parts of Srinagar. Protests also spread to Baramulla, Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Bandipora districts.
They said police fired warning shots and burst teargas shells to disperse stone-throwing protesters at Gojwara and adjoining localities in the vicinity of Jamia Masjid in interior city.
The clashes in the locality resumed this morning despite heavy deployment, leaving three policemen and six protesters injured. Protests also continued in other parts of the city, including Maisuma and Safakadal.
Angry youths blocked roads and indulged in stone-hurling at Natipora, Nowgam, Barzalla and Rambagh in uptown and Batmaloo and Bemina in central city, prompting police to fire teargas shells and use batons to restore law and order. These areas were by and large peaceful on Monday.
Wamik Farooq Wani, a seventh class student, was killed on Sunday after being hit by a teargas shell allegedly fired by a police official at Rajouri Kadal, sparking violent clashes in most parts of downtown Srinagar.
Shouting pro-freedom slogans, groups of people took to the streets at the district headquarters this morning and threw stones when police tried to chase them, the sources said.
Clashes were intense in Anantnag and Baramulla towns where ten persons, including five policemen, were injured. One of the policemen, who was hit by a stone in the face at Bangla Bagh in Baramulla town of North Kashmir, was rushed to Srinagar.
Meanwhile, fire broke out in a shop at Reshi Bazar in Anantnag town during the clashes. Protesters claimed that the fire, which was doused later, was caused by indiscriminate teargas shelling. But police denied the allegation and said the shop was located on the third floor of a shopping complex and that short circuit was the apparent cause.
Police also fired teargas shells to disperse mob at Shopian in South Kashmir and resorted to lathicharge in Pulwama and Bandipora districts, sources said.