On the eve of Eid festivities in Kashmir, images of iconic Lal Chowk, buzzing with shoppers, always found space on page 1 of national dailies. This time, it is not the case.
The city landmark, covered with concertina wires, remains out of bounds, even for media persons moving around deserted market places, dotted with gun totting security personnel at every nook and corner.
On Saturday, even after relaxing curfew restrictions in a phased manner, to allow local residents to purchase essential items ahead of festival of Eid, deceptive calm prevailed in different parts of the city. The Eid festivities were also subdued due to ‘unprecedented’ crack down in other parts of Kashmir Valley. Locals, stepped out, in small numbers, to make essential purchases from nearby provision stores and local markets.
No major incident of stone pelting or street demonstration was reported, however, handful of slogan shouting protesters surfaced, at various places in down town areas of Srinagar to register their resentment.
In contrast, educational institutions started functioning normally in Jammu after a gap of five days. Several schools resumed their class work while business activity also resumed across major city plazas and wholesale markets. In five out of 10 districts in Jammu division, life remained peaceful.