Arrests spark protests in Srinagar city

Srinagar, May 19: In Srinagar, police and CRPF personnel beat up and injured at least 18 persons when they were protest against the the overnight raids and arrest of youth by police personnel in down town areas of Srinagar city on Monday. Police personnel arrested twenty persons from Kaw Dara, Rajouri Kadal, Naid Kadal, Zaina Kadal in Srinagar city.

The residents of Kawdara, Rajouri Kadal, Nawa Kadal and Zaina Kadal said that policemen conducted overnight raids in the areas and arrested scores of youth.  “The arrested youth are innocents and were not involved in stone pelting,” they said.

People mostly youth took to roads in Rajouri Kadal, Nawa Kadal, Gojwara and Kawdara and staged anti-police and anti-India demonstrations. They said that police is harassing the youth of the old city on different pretexts. They were demanding immediate and unconditional release of the arrested youth.

The cops fired dozens of tear smoke shells and resorted to heavy baton charge to disperse the agitating youth and 18 persons including were injured.

A decomposed dead body of a woman aged between 25 to 30 years and is wearing a burka was recovered near Ajas village in Bandipora.