Mohammad Abu Bakr
SOPORE
Intense clashes erupted outside Fruit Mandi Sopore on Wednesday morning after vehicles carrying fruits were stopped by forces.
According to reports, the authorities had asked the fruit sellers to open the fruit stands after 9 am instead of the 7 am and the Army had stopped the vehicles laden with apples.
This angered the people and started raising pro-freedom slogans.
Forces fired teargas and pellets to disperse off the protesters. Hundreds of vehicles returned from the fruit Mundi without selling the produce. At least five traders were injured after hit by pellets.
Mushtaq Ahmad, the president of Fruit Mundi Sopore said, “we have been opening the Fruit Mundi in early morning and now we are being told to open it after 9 am. Army and forces stopped our fruit vehicles today and did not allow people to enter. So we decided to close the Mandi.”
