Normal life came to a grinding halt in Kashmir Valley on Friday while people protested against the repeated publication of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in a French satirical magazine. Separatist outfits and religious organisations had called for the shutdown and protests after the midday congregational prayers.
All shops and business establishments remained closed in summer capital Srinagar and other major towns of the valley while public transport was off the roads. The authorities had erected barricades in and around civil lines areas of the capital to prevent free movement of people. Police confirmed that several incidents of stone-pelting were reported but the situation remained peaceful by and large.
The shutdown affected normal functioning of the Government offices, banks and post offices. Reports said that protests erupted in various localities of Srinagar and other districts against the blasphemous caricature after congregational Friday prayers. The protesters raised pro-Islam slogans while at some places protestors burnt down effigies of cartoonists. The preachers in most of the mosques condemned the publication of sacrilegious cartoons and described it as an affront to Muslim community across the globe.
“Such sacrilegious publications under the garb of freedom of expression were spreading religious hatred across the globe and disturbing the world peace”, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, head of moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference said in a statement. The authorities put several separatist leaders including Mirwaiz, JKlF chief Yasin Malik and Shabir Shah under house arrest.