Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 14: Authorities today imposed restrictions in parts of Old City here and disallowed Friday prayers at Jama Masjid for fourth consecutive week while clashes broke out in some parts of Valley during which many persons including a cop were injured and 15 youths were detained.
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Strict curfew-like restrictions were imposed in Nowhatta, Rajouri Kadal, Bohri Kadal, Nawa Kadal, Saraf Kadal, Gojwara and Hawal areas of the Old City since early morning while the curbs were lifted from rest of the downtown areas. Hundreds of police and paramilitary men were deployed in restriction-bound areas to enforce curbs and they had erected concertina wires as well as mobile bunkers at key junctions.
The restrictions were imposed to thwart any possible outbreak of protests after Friday prayers against the killing of Nowhatta militant Sajad Ahmad Gilkar in recent Budgam encounter. The authorities, for the fourth consecutive week, disallowed Friday prayers at Jama Masjid. Moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who delivers weekly sermons at Jama Masjid, was placed under house detention.
While the day passed off peacefully in Old City, clashes erupted in Nowhatta area after lifting of restrictions in the evening. Some parts of the Old City also observed spontaneous shutdown. The clashes between youth and security forces also erupted at Soura after Friday prayers in which one police constable identified as Javaid Ahmad was injured.
A police official said that the constable Javaid was hit by a stone in his arm. Police burst teargas canisters to disperse the stone-throwers. The clashes in the area continued for several hours. At Hyderpora, the members of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat staged a protest against detention of their chairman Syed Ali Geelani. They demanded his release from house-detention. The protest concluded on peaceful note.
In south Kashmir, intense clashes erupted in Reshi Bazar locality of Anantnag district between protesters and security forces after Friday prayers. Witnesses said police fired dozens of teargas canisters towards the protesting youth. During clashes, three youths were injured while fifteen of them were arrested from local Jama Masjid by security forces. Amid a shutdown, massive clashes raged at Chatpora and Tahab areas of Pulwama district after Friday prayers.
Police said that barring few stone-pelting incidents, the situation in rest of the Kashmir remained peaceful and people resumed their routine activities after yesterday’s shutdown and restrictions.
Meanwhile, telecommunication companies on the directions of authorities this evening restored high speed internet on all cellular networks. The internet was on Wednesday morning suspended in Valley after the killing of three militants at Budgam in an overnight gunfight.
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