A day after Home Minister Rajnath Singh appealed to youngsters in Kashmir to stay calm and the security forces to exercise restraint to bring back order in Kashmir, the situation in the State did not show any significant improvement. Curfew remained clamped in most parts of the Valley and scores of youngsters were injured in clashes with police and paramilitaries in south Kashmir where separatist leaders had announced to hold a major assembly to pay tributes to those killed in the recent uprising.
Senior separatist leaders Syed Ali Gellani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who have been detained at their respective residences for several weeks, on Monday attempted to break police cordon to embark on the proposed march towards Anantnag. However, the policemen watching the residences round-the-clock intercepted them and they were bundled in security vehicles to be placed in the nearby police locations. Geelani was taken to Humhama police post while Mirwaiz was placed at Superintendent of Police office at Nigeen, a few furlongs from his residence.
Anantnag district in south Kashmir leads the tally of fatal casualties which happened after the security forces swooped on protesters following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8 in Kokernag pocket of south Kashmir.
Two weeks ago, the two leaders were taken into custody in the same fashion but were relocated at their residences later in the evening.
The separatists, in their protest calendar, had announced to march towards Anantnag to pay homage to youngsters slain by the security forces during the past over two weeks.
Though curfew was replaced by orders to restrict assembly of more than four people in several north Kashmir districts, there was no relaxation in curfew in south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama besides jurisdiction of several police stations in capital Srinagar. However, protesters from several south Kashmir pockets, including Tral, Pulwama and Bijbehara, attempted to march towards Anantnag. Police and CRPF were deployed in strength to foil the march of the people. Barbed wires had been placed at the entry points of Anantnag town to stop protesters from reaching the venue.
Sources said dozens of protesters were injured. Police used batons and fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. Reports of clashes and holding anti-India demonstrations also came from several curfew-bound localities of Srinagar. Deputy Inspector General of Police, south Kashmir range, Ghulam Hassan Bhat said the situation remained under "control" barring some intermittent clashes in Kulgam and Anantnag town.
Meanwhile, strict curfew and communication clampdown continued on the 17th day in the Kashmir Valley.
Mobile phones and internet services continue to remain suspended from the past 10 days. The State-owned BSNl is the only mobile phone service that operates internet on broadband connections. The authorities' decision to reopen schools in north Kashmir districts also evoked cold response.
A police spokesman said the situation throughout the Valley remained peaceful and under control on Monday. "There was no curfew in most of the towns/areas of Kashmir although curfew remained imposed in 12 police stations of Srinagar and towns of Awantipora, Kulgam, Baramulla, Pattan and Anantnag," the spokesman said, adding no reports of any untoward incident came although some stray stone-pelting incidents were reported at some places.
Meanwhile, after remaining suspended for three consecutive weeks, the weekly bus service between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar resumed on Monday.