Restrictions were imposed in several parts of Srinagar on Thursday to thwart separatists’ plans to hold protests and seminars to commemorate death anniversaries of Muhammad Maqbool Bhat and Afzal Guru who were executed in Delhi’s Tihar jail in February in 1984 and 2013 respectively.
Though there was no call for shutdown on Wednesday, the authorities sealed off several quarters in the civil lines area of capital Srinagar to thwart separatists’ plans to hold protests in favour of the demand for return of mortal remains of the two hanged Kashmiri separatists.
All roads leading to Clock Tower area in central lal Chowk were sealed with barbed wire. The JKlF had planned to hold a sit-in in the area. Police have already detained JJlF chief Yasin Malik and remanded him to a week’s custody. Even journalists who have offices in the adjacent Press Enclave on Residency Road were not allowed to proceed until a senior police officer intervened.
The unannounced curfew-like restrictions created large scale chaos in the city. A large number of police personnel and traffic officials were seen diverting traffic through other routes leading to major traffic jams. Vehicles remained stranded while not a single vehicle was allowed to pass lal Chowk.
The separatists have called for a shutdown in Kashmir Valley on February 11 also on the death anniversary of Maqbool Bhat. The authorities on Wednesday evening said restrictions will be imposed in various parts of Srinagar on Thursday.