By Our Special Correspondent
Srinagar, Aug. 27: At least two protesters were killed and nine others injured when the Army opened fire at Handwara and Soibug in the Kashmir Valley on Wednesday, raising the death toll to seven over the past three days.
Curfew was, meanwhile, relaxed in a phased manner in different parts of the Valley and in Jammu’s Poonch town on Wednesday. The varying relaxation periods passed off peacefully, except in Srinagar’s Rainawari area. People came out in large numbers to purchase food, dairy products, medicines and other essentials. At many places, the shops ran out of stock, leaving many disappointed.
At Handwara, the Army opened fire at a group of protesters who, on coming out of a mosque, objected to the soldiers’ thrashing an old man for defying curfew. One person, Muhammad Yusuf Banday, was critically injured and later died in hospital. Residents alleged that the police and CRPF fired teargas shells towards the hospital.
The town earlier witnessed protests after troops allegedly barged into some houses late Tuesday night and beat up inmates, which the Army later denied.
At Soibug, hometown of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, the Army opened fire to quell a curfew-defying mob, the police said. One person, Hilal Ahmed Mir, was killed on the spot. Uncon-firmed reports said one of nine persons injured in the shooting and teargassing had died in hospital later.
