Miscreants pelt stones at Sikh residences in Shopian

Miscreants pelted stones at the houses of some Sikh residents of Shopian town before being chased away by women in the locality, police said today.
Some troublemakers allegedly pelted stones at seven houses belonging to members of the Sikh community late last evening in Shopian town, damaging windowpanes, said a local, Charanjit Singh.
But women from the neighbourhood came out in numbers and chased away the miscreants, he added.
"Our houses suffered some damage but we are safe. Our neighbours came to our rescue," said Singh, who works as a 'sewadar' at the local gurdwara.
He, however, denied reports of any attack on a place of worship.

A youth lost his life in firing today by security personnel during a protest in Shopian.

The town has been on the boil since Saturday when four persons were killed after being fired upon by CRPF personnel following an alleged attack on their camp.
Meanwhile, responding to the events in Shopian, opposition Peoples' Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti said it was surprising that incidents of communal violence followed episodes of human rights violations in the state.
"There were sectarian clashes in Budgam after the Gool firing incident and, last night, there was an attack on Sikh community members in Shopian.

"It seems attempts are being made to divert attention away from the killings on Saturday," she said.
Hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani said the incident involving Sikhs was an attempt to give a new twist to the protests over Saturday's killings in Shopian.