Srinagar, April 17: Several colleges across Kashmir Monday witnessed protest by students against the police beating of students in Pulwama Degree College a few days back.
Over fifty students had been wounded on Saturday when students at Degree College Pulwama clashed with Government Forces, forcing authorities to close down the College for two days.
While Srinagar police battled with students in SP College, reports about similar protests came from, Bemina, Shopian, Sopore, Pattan, Gaderbal and from Kashmir University.
Over 50 students and dozens of policemen were wounded when agitated students of Sri Pratap (SP) College clashed with police. Police retaliated with tear-smoke shelling to disperse the protesting students. The clashes between students and police continued for hours, thus disrupting normal life in and around city centre Lal Chowk. Students amid pro-freedom slogans tried to march towards city centre Lal Chowk when police stopped them. The blockade provoked students who pelted stones thus resulting in clashes. Shopkeepers downed their shutters while traffic disappeared from Moulana Abulkalam Azad Road.
Reports said that Station House Officer Kothibagh was also injured in the clashes. Students alleged that police resorted to massive tear-gas shelling inside the college. The students later on scattered in groups and clashed with police on the roads. Eyewitnesses told news agency CNS that police earlier used water cannons to disperse the students; however, they hurled rocks on them. The female students at Government College for Women alleged that police fired tear-gas shells inside the college premises creating panic among them. “We had asked the students to stage protests at Press Colony instead of blocking the road. However, they didn’t agree and continued to block the road,” said a top police officer.
The reports said that a peaceful procession of students of Islamia College Srinagar headed towards Nowhatta. Students were protesting against the police beating of students in Pulwama Degree College on Saturday.
Massive clashes erupted at Degree College Bemina here in Srinagar city also where according to reports students resorted to massive stone-pelting. Government Forces fired tear-smoke shells to disperse them, however, students hit to roads and entered into clashes with the police. The clashes disrupted vehicular movement on the road. Students were protesting against beating of Pulwama students.
Intense clashes were also reported from Kulgam district where students from Degree College hit to roads and pelted stones on the Government Forces.
Student protests also triggered massive clashes and shutdown in Sopore town of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Witnesses said that the students of Degree College Sopore staged protests against the forces’ action on students at Pulwama Degree College last week.
Police and paramilitary forces deployed in the area resorted to teargas shelling and baton-charge to disperse the protesting students. Clashes also triggered shutdown in the area, said the witnesses.
Clashes erupted between police and students after police foiled a march of the students of Boys Degree College Baramulla towards the town. The protesting students were pushed towards the college premises, witnesses said. Police lobbed scores of teargas shells inside the premises of the college. The clashes created panic in the town.
Protests and clashes also erupted in Kashmir University and other educational institutions of Kashmir Valley includingDegree College Bandipora, Degree College Shopian, Degree College Sumbal, Degree College Ganderbal
Handwara College, Degree College Tral,
Dooru College, Pattan College, Amar Singh College, Nawakadal College. Scores of students were injured in day long protests, many of them were shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment. (CNS)
