Death toll in Kashmir clashes rises to 16

A youth was today killed in fresh clashes between locals, protesting the gunning down of Hizbul Mujhaideen poster boy Burhan Wani, and security forces in Pulwama district, taking the death toll to 16 in the violence which also left 200 people injured.

An 18-year-old youth was critically injured in clashes between protestors and security forces at Newa in Pulwama this morning, a police official said.

Irfan Ahmad Malik was rushed to SMHS hospital here but succumbed to his injuries, he said.

Four persons who were injured in the violent clashes yesterday succumbed to injuries during the night, the official said.

Violent protests broke out in most parts of Kashmir -- with the south districts of Pulwama, Anantnag and Kulgam being the worst hit.

As per consolidated information available now, more than 200 persons, including 96 security personnel, were injured in the day long clashes during which the mobs set on fire three police installations, three civil administration offices, the house of a PDP MLA, several vehicles and targeted a BJP office.

Meanwhile, curfew-like restrictions continued in parts of Kashmir Valley as a precautionary measure for the second day today.

Normal life across Valley remained paralysed due to a strike called by separatist groups to protest the killings.

Separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, continue to be under house arrest while Mohammad Yasin Malik is also under preventive detention.

Amarnath Yatra, which was suspended from Jammu yesterday, also remained suspended.

Wani, a Hizbul Mujahideen commander, and two others were killed on Friday when security forces retaliated after being fired upon by the trio from a house in which they were hiding. Mobile internet services were suspended and and a curfew was imposed across the Valley to contain the fallout of Wani's killing.