2 Jammu and Kashmir protestors die in army firing

Protests erupted in Handwara town of Kupwara district, 85 kilometres from here, following allegations that a girl student, on her way home, was molested by soldiers posted in an Army picket in the town, official sources said. 

They said the protestors pelted stones at the Army picket after which the soldiers opened fire.

The two youths killed in the firing were identified as Iqbal Ahmad and Nayeem Bhat, the sources said. 

Life was on Tuesday crippled due to strike, called by separatist organisations in protest against the alleged attacks on Kashmiri students studying in different parts of the country, human rights violations and slapping Public Safety Act (PSA) against youths and desecration of a graveyard. 

Majority separatist leaders are either under house arrest or detained in different police stations in the valley.

Shops and business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the roads in the summer capital, Srinagar in response to strike call by both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference (HC) and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). However, private transport and some passenger vehicles (Cabs) were plying on some city and district routes. Traffic police personnel, who otherwise remain busy regulating traffic on busy city routes, were seen relaxing.  

Three-wheelers had yet another field day on Tuesday, charging extra from the passengers in the absence of transport service as State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) buses also remained off the roads.

Work in government offices, banks and other institutions was affected while educational institutions wore a deserted look as students stayed away in response to strike call. Tuition and coaching centres also remained closed. However, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) was functioning normally. 

Additional security forces and state police personnel had been deployed on all bridges, connecting the old town with civil lines in the town to maintain law and order. The strike called by separatist leaders after reports received here alleged that Kashmiri students were being tortured, forced to say Bharat Mata Ki Jai and harassed in different parts of the country.