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| India-Pakistan |
| Protests in Srinagar |
| 2001-10-08 |
Srinagar, October 8: Violent protests broke out in Srinagar on Monday against air strikes by United States on Afghanistan. The Hurriyat Conference also held an emergency press conferece in the morning in view of the situation arising out of the US strikes. The late night news of the strikes almost had the people on the edge who took to streets in many localities of downtown Srinagar in morning. The biggest protest however took place at Nowhatta near Jamia Masjid, an area densely populated by the loyalists of the Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. The protesters shouted slogans against US and expressed sympathy and solidarity to the people of Afghanistan. By 0900 hrs IST, most of the shops in the Civil Lines areas, Lal Chowk and Residency Road had closed down. At Nowhatta youths clashed with police and pelted stones. Tension gripped the area forcing suspension of the transport. Police resorted to heavy lathicharge and lobbed scores of tear gas shells. Groups of youth in several localities of the downtown forced suspension of the traffic. Several cars, scooters and buses were damaged by the protesters. Police and paramilitary forces were rushed to the areas to quell the protestors, but has met with little success so far. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |