Curfew re-imposed in some Srinagar areas

Curfew was re-imposed in parts of Srinagar and some other towns in the Kashmir Valley at dawn on Wednesday to hold back a “solidarity” rally, planned by separatists in southern Kulgam. Curfew had been lifted from the Valley except in Anantnag town on Tuesday morning after remaining in force for 17 days. However, soon protests broke out in several Srinagar areas, and in Anantnag, surging crowds defied the curfew only to clash with security forces.

While tensions persisted, torrential rains, which continued to lash the Valley throughout the day, acted as “deterrent” and no fresh protests or clashes were reported from anywhere on Wednesday. In the afternoon, the police briefly detained separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq as they came out of their respective besieged residences in Srinagar and tried to march towards Kulgam.

A statement issued by the police here said that the situation remained “peaceful and under control.”

“There was no report of any untoward incident,” it said, adding that apart from police stations of the old city of Srinagar and Kulgam and Anantnag areas, “there were no restrictions anywhere in the Valley”. Internet services on mobile phones and through dongles continued to be unavailable. However, broadband on fixed BSNL lines was working and post-paid cellular services provided by the state-owned telecommunications company were not snapped either. Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has again sought people’s co-operation in shaping up a politically stable and economically emancipated J&K.