The normal life was crippled in Kashmir on Monday in response to a shutdown call by separatists over the deaths of seven civilians in an explosion at an encounter site in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district where three terrorists also had died in the gunfight on Sunday.
Ignoring advisories, the encounter site was run over by protesters even as the security forces abandoned the site without sanitising it after the gunfight ended.
The shutdown was observed a day ahead of Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Kashmir Valley on Tuesday to review the security situation.
Protests erupted in Hawoora village of Kulgam when the body of youngster Javid Ahmad Lone was taken for burial to the local cemetery. Lone’s body was identified late on Sunday evening by his relatives in a hospital mortuary. Earlier, six local youngsters were killed in a massive blast in Laroo village where people had gathered at an encounter site shortly after security forces left the area following killing of three local cadre of Jaish-e-Muhammad outfit.
The shutdown call was given by Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), a grouping of three prominent separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik against the spree of killings in the Valley.
All shops, business establishments, Government and private offices, educational institutions, banks and post offices remained closed while the traffic was generally off the roads. The train services were halted between Banihal and Baramulla. The State Board of School Education and several universities announced postponement of examinations in the backdrop of the shutdown call.
An official said that contingents of forces were deployed at sensitive locations in parts of Kashmir to thwart any “element of violence”.
The authorities also snapped mobile internet service in several volatile parts of south Kashmir.
Besides Javed Lone six other civilians identified as Auqib Ahmad Sheikh (18), Uzair Ahmad Dar (15), Irshad Ahmad Paddar, Mansoor Ahmad Dar, Talib Ahmad Laway, Mohammad Maqbool and Mukeen Ahmad Bhat were killed in the deadly blast on Sunday. More than 40 civilians were injured in the area, most of them with shrapnel, splinters and pellets. Locals said that some people suffered bullet injuries.
The situation took a worse turn at a time when Urban Local Body elections concluded in the region despite large-scale boycott of the people to these elections.
The panchayat elections would be held in the State in November and December.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s is scheduled to review the security situation in Srinagar besides holding a meeting with Governor Satya Pal Malik. The separatists have called for protest march in Lal Chowk area of Srinagar on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, legislator Sheikh Rashid said the worsening situation in Kashmir was a result of delay in political settlemeht of the Kashmir issue.
“It is shameful that rather taking permanent measures to resolve Kashmir dispute forever, New Delhi and its proxies are busy in distorting the facts and accusing Kashmiris who are the worst victims of state terrorism.
Whatsoever happened in Kulgam should be condemned by all and there is no excuse to justify these killings,” Rashid said addressing a protest rally in Handwara.
“It is failure of the political leadership that New Delhi is enjoying our killings and political parties are strengthening their vote bank from Srinagar to New Delhi over dead bodies of Kashmiris,” he said.