Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 29: Life in Kashmir valley remained paralyzed for the fifth consecutive day today with security was beefed up in major towns and sensitive places and curfew like restrictions were imposed in parts of Srinagar city to prevent march to the gutted shrine of Syed Abdul Qadir Jeelani at Khanyar.
Schools, colleges, shops and other commercial establishments remained closed in response to the strike call given by the Grand Mufti of Kashmir, Mufti Bashir-ud-Din. Public transport remained off the roads in most parts of the Valley. Majority of the Government offices remained closed with negligible attendance in banks.
The curfew like restrictions continued in the parts of Srinagar city with Lal Chowk and Maisuma locality of the city centre sealed by police with concertina wire to prevent March to Khanyar where 200-year old shrine of Syed Abdul Qadir Jeelani was gutted on Monday.
The curfew-like restrictions continued in the areas falling under Police Stations of Khanyar, Maharaj Gunj, Rainawari, Nowhatta, Safakadal and Kralkhud for fourth consecutive day. The curfew like restrictions were imposed on Monday evening as a preventive measure to maintain law and order in Srinagar city.
Security in other major towns of Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama, Budgam, Baramulla, Sopore, Kupwara, Bandipora was intensified to avoid any protests after Friday congregations.
Police had put restrictions on the movement of people in certain areas of Anantnag town after yesterday’s clashes between police and stone throwing protesters.
There were reports of stray incidents of stone pelting from parts of Kashmir valley. These incidents were reported from Sopore, Baramulla, Anantnag, and Bemina and Lawaypora areas of Srinagar. In Bemina, wife of Deputy Registrar census, R C Sethi, was injured when a stone hit their vehicle. They were returning from Gulmarg and she was immediately rushed to hospital where she was treated for a wound.
In order to maintain peace in Srinagar city and disallow any protests by separatists, chairmen of both factions of the Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Omer Farooq were also put under house arrest.
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik and Democratic Freedom Party leader Shabir Ahmad Shah and senior separatist leaders including Aga Syed Hassan, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Masroor Abbas, Zafar Akbar Bhat and Javed Ahmad Mir were also put under house arrest.
Mufti Bashiruddin, Moulana Gulam Rasool Hami, Mirwaiz Syed Lateef Bukhari and several other religious leaders were also put under house arrest and prevented from offering Friday prayers as a precautionary measure.
However, separatist leader Hilal Ahmad War along with his couple of supporters tried to take out a march from Maisuma locality towards the gutted shrine in the afternoon but police foiled their attempt.
Director General of Police, K Rajendra Kumar, meanwhile said today that administration will review the law and order situation across the city and decide about the future restrictions if any.
“The Deputy Commissioner Srinagar will review the situation and decide on restrictions according to the prevailing conditions of law and order”, the DGP said.
The DGP said situation across the valley remained peaceful and under control and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere. He said restrictions were placed in many areas to ensure peace. “They were put in place to prevent damage to life and property in many areas”, he said.
The DGP said the Government is constantly monitoring the situation and with the improvement in situation there will be no restrictions. He appealed to the people to cooperate with the administration.
Hurriyat Conference chairman, Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, strongly condemned the Government action of imposing undeclared curfew in parts of Srinagar. He said that Government forcibly prevented him and lakhs of Kashmiris from offering Friday prayers in their respective Masjids.
Jamat-e-Islami expressed its concern over the continued restrictions on movement of people in various areas of the city.
“Due to undeclared curfew, lakhs of people in old Srinagar city have been deprived of free movement resulting in unprecedented hardships to them. The non-availability of food items and medicines have added to their woes and patients and children are the worst sufferers. The indiscriminate arrest of innocent youngsters on mass level has created an uneasy situation for the entire people”, the Jammat spokesperson said in a statement issued to press here.
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