Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Nov 12: A school was torched by miscreants in Shopian district of South Kashmir while strike called by separatists disrupted normal life in Kashmir for 127th day today.
Police said that miscreants this evening torched Government Primary School Shedi Chek, Zainapora in Shopian district of South Kashmir. The school was damaged in the fire. This is the 34th school that was torched in Kashmir during last few months.
Shops, commercial establishments, educational institutes and other offices were closed across Srinagar today in response to strike called by separatists. Heavy movement of private vehicles, mini-buses, auto-rickshaws and taxis as well pedestrians was seen in Civil Line and uptown areas of the city. At few places there were traffic jams despite strike.
Hundreds of vendors had set up their stalls in Lal Chowk area and large numbers of shoppers were also seen buying winter clothes. In Old City, hundreds of security forces personnel were deployed in five police station areas of Srinagar’s Old City – MR Gunj, Nowhatta, Safa Kadal, Rainawari and Khanyar – since early morning to prevent any violence.
In Old City, there was, however, civilian movement without any disruption. Private vehicles could also been seen plying. The vehicles on inter-district roads including passenger cabs’ were seen plying smoothly. The movement of passenger vehicles was observed on many Civil Line routes.
A Police spokesman said here that with constant increase in private and public transport on the roads, situation remained peaceful and under control across the Valley.
“During the day no untoward incident was reported from any part of the Valley. Shops and other business establishments were seen open in most parts of the Valley. Private and a good number of public transport vehicles were seen plying on the city roads as also in other main towns. Vendors in large numbers were doing their routine business across the Valley”, the spokesman said.
Police said: “meanwhile, necessary security arrangements continued to remain in place on some vulnerable points to prevent any untoward incident of disrupting normal life and flow of traffic.”