BEERWAH (Kashmir), Aug 28:
Vigilante groups are seeking to enforce new ‘working hours’ in the Kashmir valley, setting deadlines for people to carry out normal activities but officials said these youths are being dealt with effectively by law-enforcing agencies.
The groups of youth have set these informal deadlines in most parts of the Valley before they enforce a day-time ‘civil curfew’ to protest against the Centre’s decision to repeal the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the State into two Union Territories.
One such group is active at Utligam, near Beerwah town of Budgam district. It has set a deadline of 10 am for people to make purchases of daily needs or use their vehicles for commuting.
“We are only allowing people with medical emergencies to pass through … Other people can stay home. Too much unnecessary movement of people on roads gives a false impression of normalcy,” a 24-year-old youth, who refused to be identified, said.
Closer to Budgam falls Nasrullahpora, a large habitation on either side of the road, and the scenes are no different. Though there are no means of communication, except through the word of mouth, the new timings seemed to have been conveyed to neighbouring areas.
The shutters of the shops are downed — almost in synchrony — at 10 am. Minor boys, in some cases as young as 10 years, take over the roads and start pelting stones at any vehicle passing by after the deadline.
“All the promises have been broken … our identity is at stake. We will not take it lying down,” a youngster, barely out of his teens, said. He refused to engage any further with this reporter, waving dismissingly.
While there were no vigilante groups in Budgam town even after the 10 am deadline, life was anything but normal. Movement of private and Government vehicles was much more frequent but still nowhere near the normal. (PTI)
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