Killing of father, son leads to protests in Srinagar

Srinagar, Oct 24 (UNI) Police resorted to firing and burst teargass shells to disperse a violent mob protesting against the death of father and son by a speeding police jeep at Nowgam, about six km from here today.

About a dozen people were injured in stone pelting.

Official sources said Ali Mohammad and his son Imtiyaz Ahmad were on way to city from Chatergam on a two-wheeler when a speedy police vehicle hit them at Naiyak Bagh.

Eyewitnesses told UNI correspondent that both died on the spot after they were hit by a police jeep.

They said driver and other occupants of the jeep fled away from the spot abandoning their vehicle.

Later, hundreds of residents, mostly women, took to streets to protest against the accident.

Demanding immediate arrest of the driver and other police personnel travelling in the vehicle, the demonstrators blocked traffic on the Natipora-Nowgam byepass road.

The demonstrators also set on fire the jeep involved in the accident.

The mob pelted stones on a police party from Nowgam police station and did not allow them to take the bodies. Later, reinforcements were rushed to the area from Chanapora and Saddar police station.

However, when the demonstrators refused to disperse, police opened fire and also burst about a dozen teargass shells.

About a dozen people were injured in police action and stone pelting, the sources said.

Traffic on the Natipora-Nowgam byepass was diverted to other routes leading to traffic jams.

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