A 12-year-old was killed during a clash between protestors and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Handwara town on Thursday, reports said. Doctors at the hospital he was taken to said the boy had multiple pellet injuries on his body.

The clash occurred between youth and security forces deployed at a polling booth in Mandigam who were withdrawing from the area. The protestors allegedly pelted stones at the personnel who retaliated with pellets that hit the boy.

Doctors at the DH hospital in Handwara declared him “brought dead”. “He had suffered multiple pellet injuries, including on skull, chest, neck and abdomen,” said medical superintendent Dr Rouf.

Villager demonstrated against his death near the boy’s house.

Meanwhile, a strike called by the Joint Resistance Leadership to protest the Lok Sabha elections impacted daily life in Kashmir with shops, business establishments and educational institutes remaining closed. The local administration suspended public transport and internet services soon after the incident.

In Palhalan village, protestors pelted stones while security forces lobbed smoke shells to disperse the crowd. Clashes were also reported in parts of Arampora and Model areas of Sopore.