Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 26: Shutdown continued across Kashmir for 110th day today during which masked youths appeared on roads and ransacked glasses of vehicles defying shutdown in parts of Valley including in Srinagar.
Security force personnel were deployed in five Police Station areas of Srinagar’s Old City – MR Gunj, Nowhatta, Safa Kadal, Rainawari and Khanyar – since early morning and Habba Kadal and Maisuma areas. However, civilian movement without any disruption was allowed in these areas.
In Civil Line and uptown areas of the Srinagar, extra-ordinary movement of private transport and pedestrians was once again seen since early morning but all the shops, commercial establishments and educational institutes were closed. Besides, the vendors had set up their stalls at Batamaloo, Lal Chowk, Dalgate, Sonwar, Jehangir Chowk, Exhibition Crossing and Jawahar Nagar.
A group of masked youth appeared at Hari Singh High Street and started ransacking vehicles and goods of street vendors for defying shutdown. The youths also pelted stones on passing vehicles. The attack by youth created panic in the area and later the police arrived on the spot. However, the masked youth managed to flee.
The reports of ransacking of vehicles were also received from Old City areas in the evening. A police official said soon after the deployment of forces was withdrawn, groups of youth appeared on roads at Eidgah, Bohri Kadal, Nowhatta, Safa Kadal and Noorbagh and pelted stones on vehicles, resulting in damage to them.
At Pulwama, masked youths carrying sticks appeared on roads at Hospital Road, Murran, Kangan and other areas and resorted to ransacking of shops, vehicles and street vendors’ goods for defying shutdown. They were, however, caught on camera.
A police spokesman said: “Situation across the Valley remained peaceful and no untoward incident was reported from any part of the Valley”. “At Hari Singh High Street some miscreants pelted stones on some vehicles and also tried to ransack some vendors. The police immediately swung into action and chased the miscreants away. An FIR has been lodged in Police Station Shaheed Gunj in this regard,” he said.
“Meanwhile constant increase in vehicles and pedestrian movement was noticed in Srinagar and other main towns of the Valley. Shops were seen open in many parts of the Valley and the vendors were busy in their routine job in chowks and on busy streets,” the police spokesman said.
“Adequate deployment of police and security forces was made at vulnerable points in Srinagar city, in main towns as also on the roads, lanes and by-lanes connecting different places,” he added.
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