Four persons, including a 60-year-old man, were killed in police firing on Friday as street protests, showing no signs of calming despite calls by leaders including the Prime Minister, rocked the Valley again, this time coinciding with the first Friday of the holy month of Ramzan. With this, the death toll since June 11 climbed to 56.
Protests erupted across Kashmir as thousands took to the streets in response to a call by Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
A meeting of the Unified Command, scheduled for 6 pm at its headquarters, was cancelled. Pressure was mounting on chief minister Omar Abdullah to step down. Sources in the government said his father Farooq Abdullah, who is NC president and a Union minister, is likely to reach Srinagar on Saturday to take stock of the situation. A section of the Cabinet, the sources said, is pushing for a massive reshuffle in the administration.
In Bomai, a village on the outskirts of Sopore, the CRPF opened fire on protesters, killing Arif Ahmad (18) and Sameer Ahmad (38). Eyewitnesses said that after the Friday prayers, hundreds took to the streets and, as they approached the CRPF camp, some pelted stones. The CRPF retaliated by opening fire. ??Two died on the spot, two others are battling for life in a city hospital,?? said a resident Asif Mohammad.