Traders, separatists arrested to foil Lal Chowk march

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Sept 7:  Kashmir valley today observed complete shutdown against the Government’s failure to provide succor to the last year’s flood victims while Police foiled protest rallies of traders demanding rehabilitation on the occasion of first anniversary of last year’s devastating deluge.
The strike was called by the Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA), an amalgam of traders bodies, to mark the first anniversary of last year’s floods. They had also called for protests against the Government apathy towards deluge victims.
The shutdown call was widely supported by other traders and Civil Society Groups, separatist and mainstream political parties including National Conference (NC) and Communist Party of India (Marxist).
The Government sealed several localities including Lal Chowk where the traders were scheduled to hold a protest rally. The district administration had denied permission to them for holding the rally at Lal Chowk, citing apprehensions of law and order problem. They had suggested them to shift the venue to Shere Kashmir Park, which they rejected.
Police imposed restrictions in Lal Chowk and deployed hundreds of security personnel in riot gear to prevent any attempt by the traders to reach Lal Chowk. Police erected iron barricades and laid concertina wires on roads leading to Lal Chowk to seal all entry and exit points.
Earlier, in the mid night raids, Police arrested several leaders of the trade bodies. Police raided the houses of Mohammad Yasin Khan and Showkat Chowdhary and detained them in Kothi Bagh Police Station for entire day.
Despite restrictions in city centre, a small group of traders, hoteliers and transporters assembled at Press Enclave here and tried to stage a protest against the State and Central Governments. However, they were wisked away by police and taken to Kothi Bagh Police Station. The police also resorted to mild baton charge on the protesters who were seeking rehabilitation.
In the afternoon, the traders appeared from lanes and by-lanes of the Lal Chowk and staged protests near Clock Tower, sending cops into tizzy. More than two dozen traders started massive sloganeering against the Government and raised slogans in favour of rehabilitation of trade community. The cops immediately swung into action and detained them.
The KEA chairman Mohammad Yasin Khan told Excelsior over phone that nearly 60 persons were detained by police. He condemned the police crackdown and expressed “surprise” over the Government’s decision to impose restrictions.
The call for shutdown evoked maximum response with all the shops and commercial establishments shut across the city including in downtown. The schools, colleges and other education institutes were also closed while the Government offices also witnessed thin or zero attendance. The public transport and inter-district bus service was also affected.
The shutdown was also observed in other districts of the valley including in north Kashmir districts of Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora and also in southern districts of Anantnag, Shopian, Pulwama and Kulgam. The traders in Anantnag Town also staged protest against the Government’s failure to rehabilitate the flood victims and business community of the district.
The police, meanwhile, also detained several separatist leaders to prevent them from participating in traders’ rally. Police placed Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik under house-arrrest. The second-rung separatists were also either placed under detention in their houses or in police stations.
A senior police officer told Excelsior that the situation remained peaceful across the Valley and no incident of violence was reported.

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