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Saturday, July 31, 2010

Three civilians killed in troops firing in Sopore, Pattan

Srinagar, July 31, 2010: Indian paramilitary forces opened fire to quell protesters, leaving at least three persons dead and 50 others injured. Several on them received bullet and tear-gas shelling injuries.

Police say paramilitary soldiers have fired on thousands of demonstrators in Kashmir, killing three men and injuring at least 50 others, as protests against Indian rule spread across the region.

Authorities imposed strict restrictions on the movement of people to protest against the killing of youths in firing by police and paramilitary forces since June 11 this year in Srinagar, Sopore, Baramulla, Islamabad areas.

Two people were killed when opened fire on a mob at Aramgarh village of Sopore, in Baramulla district this afternoon.  Shoukat Ahmad Chopan and Mohammad Ahsan Ganai were killed and a dozen others injured when Indian CRPF paramilitary forces opened fire on a mob in Sopore. Chopan and Ganai succumbed to injuries on way to hospital.

Doctors at the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital in Srinagar said two youth, Ahsem Ganai and Showkat Chopan, were brought dead. Out of 50 injured in clashes, 10 suffered bullet injuries and were undergoing treatment in different hospitals. The condition of two of them is stated to be "critical", officials said.
India paramilitary forces used brute force and stopped people who took to streets shortly after Friday prayers and were heading towards Sopore town.  However, the protesters denied IIndian armed personnel in uniform opened fire, resulting in injuries to seven persons who were rushed to hospital. 

A police officer, on condition of anonymity, said troops fired on protesters chanting pro-freedom slogans in Pattan, Kreeri iand Sopore towns. Two people were killed in Sopore and one died in Pattan, the officer and a local doctor said.

According to reports, two youth were killed and a dozen persons received bullet injuries when paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Railway Protection Force Personnel (RPF) opened fire on a group of demonstrators at Amargarh in Sopore after Friday prayers.

Witnesses said the two men were shot when forces opened fire on a demonstration in Sopore town, both died on the way to hospital. "Both men had bullet wounds and were dead by the time they reached us," a doctor in Srinagar's main hospital told Writer-South Asia

Six people including a teenager identified as Iqbal Ahmad Khan was critically injured in Chanapora area of Srinagar city, when CRPF troopers opened fire on mob there on Friday morning.  The 22-year-old Iqbal Ahmad Khan son of Abdul Majid Khan who, among several others, was injured in firing by paramilitary forces in Chanapora Friday morning continues to be in a critical condition.  Medical Superintendent (MS) of the Soura Institute of Medical Sciences Dr Amin Taabish told media men that Iqbal's condition was still "unstable and critical". He did not elaborate further on his condition.