2 civilians dead amid firing; shutdown in Kashmir valley

JAMMU: The killing of two civilians in firing by security forces on a group of stone pelters in Kashmir on Saturday led to a shutdown in the Valley on Sunday and the government imposing restrictions and suspending internet to scuttle possible escalation of protests.

The state government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the killing of two youth, Javed Ahmad Bhat and Suhail Javed Lone of Shopian, who were killed in the firing on Saturday.

J&K police also registered a first information report (FIR) – under sections 302, 307 and 336 – in which major Aditya of 10 Garhwal and his unit have been named. The army maintains that the unit fired at the civilians in self-defence.


The government imposed restrictions in some sensitive areas including old Srinagar city, where barricades were erected to stop any movement of civilians.

The train services were also suspended keeping in view the tension across the route from south to north Kashmir. In southern Kashmir mobile internet services were completely suspended while in the rest of Kashmir the speed of the mobile internet was reduced to 2G. Telecom companies were directed to follow the instructions till further orders.

The joint Hurriyat leadership of Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yasin Malik had called for the shutdown against the firing.

“Armed forces are involved in state terrorism and they are unaccountable. India has declared war against civilians in J&K and it should be an eye-opener for international community,” Geelani said in a statement.