Several people were injured among many sustained pellet injuries during a clash between security forces and people, who were protesting against the highhandedness of army personnel in Heff Shermal village of Shopian district
Reports sai that forces laid a cordon around the villages of Heff, Shermal and Achan in the morning following inputs about the presence of a group of militants. Reports added during the house to house search operation, forces allegedly thrashed several residents and ransacked many house, including houses of militants.
“As soon as the searches were started, agitated villagers, including women and elderly, came of out of their homes and staged protests amid slogans. Forces thrash people which led to the clashes”, reports said.
Security forces resort to teargas shelling, pellets and stun grenades to disperse the protesting resident.
Forces moved to disperse the demonstration but the protesters started pelting stones at them, sparking clashes during which teargas, stun grenades and pellets were used to disperse them. The injured were admitted at different hospitals of Shopian district. Reports said that one of the youth suffered pellet injuries in his eyes following and he was referred for specialised treatment to Srinagar’s SMHS hospital.
Latter the operation was called off.
According to sources, the families of around four to five militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen live in these villages.