Curfew lifted from Srinagar after 52 days; fresh clashes in places

Most shops, businesses remain closed due to strike call by separatist leaders

The curfew was lifted from Kashmir Valley after 52 days on Monday morning except in two police station areas of Srinagar and southern Pulwama town. The loc-kdown was part of tou-gh measures taken by the authorities to contain widespread protes-ts and violence triggered by the killing of Burhan Muzaffar Wani on July 8.

However, the restrictions had to be re-impos-ed in some parts of summer capital Srinagar, including Batamallo, Sayeda Kadal, Kani Ka-dal, Guzarbal, Babade-mb and Saidpora following renewed street clashes and stone-pelting incidents. Security forces fired dozens of teargas canisters and, in couple of cases, also pellet guns to quell the stone-throwing mobs at these places.

On Sunday night, the authorities said that following improvement in the situation the curfew will be lifted from the Valley but would rema-in in force only in Now-hatta and Maharaj Gunj police stations areas of central Srinagar and in Pulwama. Overnight the security forces had removed steel barricades and coils of Concertina razor wire from the roads across the Valley except in those areas which remained under curfew. Also the presence of security forces on the streets was very less compared to past few weeks.

However, despite lifting of curfew and restri-ctions most shops and other businesses remai-ned close due to an ong-oing strike called by an alliance of key separatist leaders. However, at places select shops like groceries, pharmacies and vegetable kios-ks opened and private cars and auto-rickshaws were seen plying on the roads. A few banks also resumed work after remaining shut for more than seven weeks.

Witnesses said that groups of youth quickly took to the streets chanting pro-freedom slogans. They soon clashed with the CRPF and the J&K police which in strength rushed in and made attempts to push the stone-throwing mo-bs back into dark alleys of Srinagar. Outside Srinagar, protests were held or clashes took place at about a dozen places, including Ch-itroo, Mazahama and Chadoora in Budgam, Kaloosa in Bandipore, Shahabad and Sangam in Anantnag, Gandwani and Shol Batango in Kulgam, Nadihal Cho-wk in Baramulla and Brambari and Rekhip-ora in Kupwara districts.

The Hurriyat Confere-nce faction led by Kas-hmir’s chief Muslim cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq quickly came out with a statement in which he was quoted as saying that the people should implement the protest calendar issued by an alliance of key separatist leaders incl-uding him “in letter and spirit”.

The call, it said, was issued by the Mirwaiz from a cottage tucked away in Srinagar’s Zabarwan range which has been turned into a makeshift detention centre and where the 44-year-old cleric and politician is lodged following his arrest on Friday.

“He has said that Kashmiris’ struggle for right to self determination has entered a sensitive phase where both the people and the leadership have to remain united, steadfast and extremely cautious in order to take it to its logical conclusion,” the amalgam said. It added, “Appealing people to stay vigilant against the anti-resistance and anti-unity forces and those indulging in rumour mongering and false propaganda, the Mirwaiz urged the people to follow the programmes given by the unified resistance leadership in letter and spirit”.

A statement issued by the police here said that minor incidents of stone pelting were reported from Srinagar, Anantnag, Kulgam, Baramula, Kupwara and Bandipora districts. “Some miscreants in their effort to disturb the situation pelted stones on police and security force deployments in these areas but except for these incidents, overall situation remained peaceful and under control throughout the Kashmir Valley till filling of this report,” the state said. It added, “Greater movement of traffic and people was observed across the Valley including the city of Srinagar”.

A report from Jammu said that a shutdown against the arrest of a prominent lawyer Babar-ul-Hassan brought life to a standstill in Doda and Bhaderwah areas of Chenab valley of the region on Monday. Mr Hassan who had been at the forefront of protests witnessed in these areas against the civilian killings in Kashmir has been detained under J&K’s stringer Public Safety Act (PSA). The shutdown call was issued by Anjuman-e-Islamia, Bhaderwah and Bar Association Doda. A protest rally was held in Doda town and the lawyers in the highway town of Banihal also boycotted courts to lodge their protest against Mr Hassan’s arrest.

In Srinagar, Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference faction alleged that his family members are being harassed by various security and intelligence agencies terming it “psychological crackdown’. It said the families of other separatist leaders are also faced with similar situation. The statement further said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has “as part of this nefarious campaign” asked Mr Geelani’s doctor son Nayeem Geelani to present himself before it. “After harassing and questioning Mr. Geelani’s aides Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Peer Saifullah, Altaf Ahmad Shah and Ayaz Akbar during their detention his elder son Dr. Naeem Geelani has been issued a notice by the NIA to report to its interrogation centre in Shivpora for questioning,” the statement said. It added, “Geelani Sahib and his family are being terrified and maligned in a well-knit conspiracy of Indian im