Many civilians came out in protest during a cordon-and-search operation in Turkwangam village . The casualties occurred when security forces allegedly opened fire in retaliation.
Army soldiers during a gun battle between militants and security forces in Shopian on April 1, 2018
A teenager was killed and at least four people were injured in clashes between protesters and government forces near the scene of a gunbattle at Turkwangam village in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Wednesday.
Shopian chief medical officer Dr Abdul Rashid Najar said Umar Kumar, a boy aged between 15 and 16 years, was declared dead on arrival at the district hospital.
“The boy had a bullet wound in his chest. He was already dead when they brought him to the hospital,” Najar said. Another youngster with eye injuries was referred to the SMHS hospital in Srinagar, he added.
The incident occurred after security forces cordoned Turkwangam village after receiving intelligence reports regarding the presence of militants there. The encounter had barely begun when local residents came out in protest, forcing security personnel to retaliate.
A police spokesperson said Kumar succumbed after sustaining injuries in the crossfire. “Meanwhile, four other injured people have been shifted to the hospital for treatment. They are all said to be stable,” he added.
Kashmir police also tweeted that another youngster, identified as Inayat, is being treated at a hospital in Srinagar.
“The situation has been brought under control. The public is requested to stay away from encounter sites and not pay any heed to rumours,” the police spokesperson said.
Protests by local residents near encounter sites to help militants escape have become a common sight in Kashmir. At least nine of the 41 people killed in violent incidents across the Valley last month were civilians shot down under such circumstances.