By IANS,
Srinagar : Two protesting youth were critically injured after being run over by a police vehicle in Pulwama district of south Kashmir even as the situation in north Kashmir’s troubled Baramulla town showed signs of improvement Thursday.
“Two youth were injured as the driver of a police vehicle panicked when faced with a stone pelting mob,” a police officer here said.
Another mob, some distance away from where the youth were injured, stopped the vehicle and torched it.
“The driver was severely beaten and has been hospitalised,” the officer said.
Both the injured youth have been admitted to the Soura Medical Institute in Srinagar, where attending doctors described their condition as serious.
Protesters also pelted stones at the police in south Kashmir’s Pampore town this morning.
In curfew bound Baramulla town, where four people were killed in clashes between security forces and agitated mobs since Monday, the situation showed marked signs of improvement.
“Except for a stray incident of stone pelting by some youth in the old town area, the situation is fast returning to normal,” a police officer said.
The government had Wednesday withdrawn the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) from Baramulla town and handed over complete responsibility of law and order to the local police following protests over the Tuesday evening killing of a youth by a paramilitary trooper.
The unrest in Baramulla had begun following allegations by a local woman that she had been abused by a police officer inside a police station.
In a Unified Headquarter meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here Wednesday, it was decided that a contingency plan would be worked out within 10 days for phased replacement of the CRPF by the local police from cities and towns of the valley.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said in New Delhi Wednesday that the decision of phased replacement of the CRPF by state police needed to be encouraged in Jammu and Kashmir.