Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 10: A shutdown across Kashmir today against the killings of militants and civilians paralysed normal life and two women were injured in stone-throwing clashes.
Shops, commercial establishments, petrol pumps and educational institutes were closed in Srinagar since early morning while transport movement on the city roads was skeletal. Security forces were deployed in sensitive areas of the city including in downtown localities to prevent protests after Friday prayers.
In view of the call for protests after Friday congregational prayers, authorities disallowed prayers at Jama Masjid by imposing curbs in Nowhatta and its adjoining areas of downtown during noon hours. No person was allowed to proceed towards Jama Masjid while police placed moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman and cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house-detention.
Due to security forces’ deployment, the situation in volatile downtown areas remained peaceful throughout the day but clashes erupted in Nawa Kadal area here in the evening in which a woman sustained stone injury in her leg, police said. She was shifted to hospital wherefrom she was discharged after receiving treatment. The clashes between youth and security personnel also erupted at HMT area on city outskirts after Friday prayers.
Security was beefed up in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, which witnessed worst violence yesterday after the killings of two militants and two civilians, but clashes erupted between protesters and security forces at Tahab village after Friday congregational prayers. The protesters resorted to heavy stone-pelting on police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in the village. Police fired scores of teargas canisters towards the stone-throwers. One of the two civilians who died yesterday belonged to Tahab.
The shutdown was also observed in other districts of South Kashmir during which stone-throwing clashes erupted at Nawdal village of Tral in Pulwama district and in Bijbehera area of Anantnag district. Police said no one was injured in these clashes and situation was brought under control instantly.
Amid complete shutdown, the North Kashmir areas witnessed nearly half-a-dozen stone-pelting incidents after Friday prayers.
Police said soon after Friday prayers, stone-throwing clashes erupted at Hyhama and Trehgam areas of frontier Kupwara district. At Hyhama, one woman identified as Sameera Bano was injured after being hit by a teargas shell. She was hospitalized and her condition is stated to be stable, said the police. The clashes also raged at Main Town and Hajin Town of Bandipora district, Sopore and Palhallan areas of Baramulla district. Police used teargas against the protesters but no one was reported injured.
A police official said that barring few incidents of stone-pelting the situation across Kashmir valley remained under control and there was no major incident of violence. He said in view of apprehensions of deterioration of law and order situation, some separatist leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani were detained inside their houses.
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