Execution of Shia cleric sparks protests in Srinagar

SRINAGAR: Scores of Shia community members in Kashmir today held protests against the execution of prominent cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia.

Protests were held at Rainawari area of Srinagar, where scores of community members raised pro-Islam and pro-Nimr slogans, officials said.

They said the protesters tried to march towards the city centre here but were stopped by police at Rainawari Chowk, triggering clashes.

Police resorted to tear gas shelling to disperse the protesters, the officials said, adding no one was injured in the clashes.

Peaceful protests and sloganeering also took place near Press Colony and Zadibal area of the city and in Budgam district.

A Saudi national, al-Nimr, had participated in the Arab Spring protests in 2011. The execution of al-Nimr along with 46 other men, including Shia activists and Sunnis accused of involvement in deadly Al-Qaeda attacks, was announced by the Saudi interior ministry.