One person was on Sunday killed and eight others injured in police firing in Baramullah town in north Kashmir in the wake of protests over alleged high-handedness of security forces, prompting authorities to clamp curfew. Irfan Ahmad, a university student, was killed on-the-spot when he was hit by a bullet in his chest during the firing by security forces after baton charge and teargas shelling failed to control the violent mob in the town, 55 km from Srinagar, official sources said. Eight persons were injured including four with bullet wounds as authorities imposed curfew in the town this afternoon to control the situation, they said. The sources said the crowd was protesting against the detention of certain functionaries of the separatist Tehrek-e-Hurriyat last night by security forces. The sources claimed that the security forces were fired upon from within the crowd and in the retaliatory fire one person was killed. The trouble started early this morning when hundreds of people took to streets and blocked the Srinagar-Kupwara road demanding action against the security personnel who allegedly let loose a reign of terror in the town over the past two days. Demanding immediate release of those detained and an end to the ‘atrocities’, the protestors tried to take out a march when they were stopped by police and paramilitary forces, the sources said, adding that police initially tried to control the stone-pelting crowd by carrying out batoncharge and bursting teargas shells. The sources said police reinforcements have been rushed to Baramulla to ensure strict imposition of the curfew orders. Senior police and administration officers are monitoring the situation, they said.
