The authorities in Kashmir imposed curfew-like restrictions in parts of Capital Srinagar and south Kashmir’s Anantnag district to thwart separatists’ proposed protests.
The Friday’s congregational prayers were not allowed in Grand Mosque of Srinagar where senior separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq delivers weekly sermons. Most of the separatist leaders were held in custody or detained at their residences.
The situation is abnormal in the Valley since the death of 22-year-old trucker Zahid Rasool Bhat last week who succumbed to burn injuries in Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.
Bhat and his colleague Showkat Ahmad were attacked by miscreants with petrol bombs at Shivnagar in Udhampur when they were on way to Kashmir in their coal-laden truck. The authorities have arrested nine people in the attack and five have been booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA), a law that allows detention of a suspect for one year without trial.
Mirwaiz Omar Farooq had called for a joint sit-in at Grand Mosque to register protest against Bhat’s killing.
However, the authorities imposed curfew-like restrictions in jurisdiction of six police stations and disallowed gathering of people in the volatile old city where Mirwaiz enjoys significant influence. Mirwaiz and several separatist leaders including Syed Ali Geelani, Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan and Qazi Yasir were put under house arrest. Yasin Malik of JKlF was taken into custody and lodged at Kothibagh Police Station.
Activists of Democratic Freedom Party were disallowed by the police to march towards the headquarters of United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). They had plans to hand over a memorandum to the UN officials on the political situation in the region.
The restrictions were harsher in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district where Ummat-e-Islami chief Qazi Yasir had announced to hold a protest march towards the residence of the slain youngster.
The restrictions impacted movement of people and vehicles in other parts of the Valley. The Railway authorities had announced to halt train services between Banihal and Qazigund in view of the law and order situation. The attendance in Government offices was meagre and most of the educational institutions, banks and courts remained shut. The University of Kashmir and Public Service Commission had cancelled all scheduled examinations.
Reports said protesters clashed with police and paramilitaries in lariyar-Tral, Rajpora, Mattan, Achabal and Qazigund in south Kashmir besides Hajin in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Sources said hundreds of people took part in funeral procession of two Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Shopian area. The two local cadres were killed in a fierce gun-battle with police and Rashtriya Rifles troops at Manzimpora village on Thursday. The protesters shouted anti-India and pro-azaadi slogans during the funeral procession.