SRINAGAR, July 28: In occupied Kashmir, people staged forceful anti-India demonstrations on Friday while Indian forces’ personnel used brute force on the demonstrators, injuring many of them. Call for the demonstrations was given by the joint resistance leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik to protest against the suspension of life sentences by a military court of five Indian army personnel involved in Machil fake encounter and persecution of pro-freedom leadership.
Indian army personnel had lured three youth, Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Riyaz Ahmad Lone and Muhammad Shafi Lone to the higher reaches of Machil on the pretext of jobs and good money as porters and killed them in a staged encounter on 29th April 2010.
People took to the streets in Srinagar, Badgam, Sopore, Bandipora, Hajin, Pattan, Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam and other areas. The demonstrations were led by Hurriyet leaders including Noor Muhammad Kalwal, Zahoor Ahmed Butt, Umar Aadil Dar and leaders of Awami Action Committee as well as ulema and imams of various mosques. The protesters raised high-pitched pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans. They also waved Pakistani flags at various places. Indian police resorted to brute force on the protesters in many areas, injuring several of them.
The puppet authorities had imposed curfew and other restrictions in Srinagar to prevent people from holding anti-India demonstrations. Juma prayers were not allowed at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar on Friday for the sixth consecutive week. The authorities also continued to place Hurriyet leaders including Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest and Muhammad Yasin Malik in jail to stop them from leading the protests. They were not even allowed to offer Juma prayers.-Sabah
