By Jehangir Ali
Srinagar: Authorities fired teargas shells and clashed with protesters in parts of Kashmir on Monday (March 2) amid a partial-to-complete shutdown called against the assassination of Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in still ongoing strikes by Israel and the United States.
Several hundreds of police and paramilitary forces – some in riot gear, others with automatic rifles – patrolled the roads of the summer capital Srinagar, especially around Lal Chowk in the city centre, where a massive protest on Sunday took the security agencies by surprise.
Spools of concertina wire were spread out on roads and bridges leading to the city centre and walls of tin sheets were erected around the historic clock tower, a tourist hotspot that was taken over by thousands of agitated protesters, including women and children, after Iranian state media confirmed news of Khamenei’s assassination on Sunday.
A police official posted at a barricade near a foot bridge over Jhelum river in Srinagar’s Rajbagh area told The Wire that the scenes at the clock tower on Sunday were a reminder of “Burhan Wani era”, a reference to the mass agitations held during 2016 in Kashmir.
Around 100 youngsters were killed in violent clashes with security forces following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Wani in 2016, and their funerals attracted massive and surcharged crowds which at times took out their anger on security forces.
“No one knew what was going to happen,” the official, who is not authorised to speak with the media, said, recounting the hours leading up to afternoon prayers on Sunday after Khamenei’s assassination. At least 10,000 people, per an official estimate, attended the prayer at the clock tower.
“One small mischief could have escalated in a massive confrontation. Even the senior officers were helplessly watching the crowds.”
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
