This Article is From Aug 22, 2016

Tear Gas Shell Kills Man In Kashmir, 80-Year-Old Gets Pellet Injuries

Tear Gas Shell Kills Man In Kashmir, 80-Year-Old Gets Pellet Injuries

80-year-old Abdul Qayoom Bhat admitted in Srinagar hospital with pellet injuries.

Srinagar: Massive protests erupted in downtown Srinagar this evening after a young man was killed in tear gas shelling at Fateh Kadal area.

Police had fired tear gas shells during a clash with protesters, one of which hit 25-year-old Irfan Majid on the chest. He was taken to hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Kashmir has been under curfew and a separatist-enforced lockdown for the last 44 days. The unrest in the State since the death of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani has claimed the lives of 67 civilians. More than 5,000 people have been injured.  

In Srinagar's SMHS hospital, 80-year-old Abdul Qayoom Bhat was admitted on Saturday with pellet injuries. Mr Bhat told NDTV that the police had opened fire at him and his wife during a midnight raid at their home in Tral in south Kashmir.

Police sources said they were looking for the elder son of Mr Bhat, who, they claimed was a member of Jamaat-e-Islami. When they didn't find him at home, the police picked up his younger son. They opened fire when the couple resisted.

Doctors who operated upon Mr Bhat found numerous pellets in his body. His 75-year-old wife was also injured and is admitted at a local hospital in Tral.

Calling the incident "regrettable", Zahid Malik, a senior police officer of Awantipora said, "It was an accidental pellet fire. We never wanted to harm the old couple".

In the same hospital, 12-year-old Junaid was admitted with pellet injuries too. His father, an auto rickshaw driver, said the boy had gone to fetch milk on Saturday evening when he got caught in police firing.

The police said they had opened fire after they were attacked by a group of young men who were throwing stones. But they could not confirm if Junaid was also among those pelting stones.
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