1,261 stone pelting incidents in J&K in 2017, Pulwama records maximum FIRs: Govt

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir witnessed 1,261 incidents of stone-pelting last year, with the native town of slain Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani--Pulwama recording the maximum number of cases against stone pelters followed by Hurriyat leader Syed Geelani's bastion of Sopore.
A total of 91 cases were registered against stone pelters in Pulwama in 2017, while 71 such cases were registered in Sopore, a document accessed by the state home department said.

In 2016, Sopore had recorded nearly 500 incidents of stone pelting, the highest during the Kashmir unrest following the killing of Burhan Wani that year.

Giving further details, the home department said 1,261 incidents of stone-pelting took place in the state in 2017 as compared to 2,808 such incidents in 2016 and 730 incidents in 2015.

The district-wise number of stone pelting incidents in the state in 2017 include the highest (230 incidents) in Srinagar followed by 131 incidents in Pulwama district, 129 in Baramulla, 98 in Budgam, 67 in Shopian, 63 in Anantnag, 50 in Kulgam, 47 in Kupwara, 36 in Ganderbal and 34 in Bandipora district, it said.

Of the total 855 cases registered against stone-pelting incidents in Jammu and Kashmir last year, Central Kashmir accounted for the highest i.e. 364 cases in 40 police station areas followed by 311 cases in South Kashmir in 23 police station areas and 210 cases in North Kashmir in 28 police stations areas, it said.

Burhan Wani's neighbouring Shopian district registered 40 cases in stone-pelting incidents in 2017 followed by 39 in Safa Kafdal police station area (Srinagar), 30 in Budgam, 27 in Parimpora (Srinagar) and 26 in MR Gunj (Srinagar), it said.

In these cases, 2,720 people were arrested against 8,570 people in 2016, the department said.

"As many as 11,566 security personnel were injured in 4,736 stone-pelting incidents in the Kashmir valley during the last three years from 2015 to 2017," the department added.