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Two injured in police firing in Srinagar

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

Two persons were seriously wounded when police opened fire to disperse protestors at Bagiyas in Srinagar, where a curfew crippled normal life for the third consecutive day on Sunday.

Meanwhile, for the first time in past nine years over 25,000 protestors thronged Hygam to join the fateha ceremony of those killed in police firing on February 15.

Police said a mob shouting anti-India slogans hurled stones at a police division at Bagiyas late Sunday afternoon. When a mild lathi-charge failed to disperse the protestors, police opened fire injuring two youths seriously. They have been identified as Bilal Ahmed and Riyaz Ahmad.

At Hygam, thousands of people joined the fateha ceremony. Villagers from adjoining villages and towns had started reaching Hygam early Sunday morning.

The villagers later blocked the Srinagar-Baramula highway and raised anti-government slogans.

Senior Shia leader and executive member of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Moulvi Abbas Ansari managed to reach Hygam in the morning and led the fateha prayers.

Addressing the mammoth gathering, the Moulvi said "innocent civilians have been targeted during the ceasefire. Your only fault was that you were asking them to hand over the body of Jaleel Ahmed Shah killed in custody," Ansari said.

Two ruling National Conference ministers, who arrived in Hygam early in the morning, had to face angry crowds who hurled abuses at them.

Throughout the day protestors clashed with police in downtown Srinagar. Though there was heavy deployment of paramilitary forces and police, protestors indulged in stone pelting. Police fired teargas shells at several places and also resorted to lathi-charge on a few occasions.

The situation continues to be tense.

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