Kashmiris answer separatists’ call, ignore curfew

Barring stray incidents of stone-pelting and street protests by curfew-defying crowds, a relative calm prevailed in the Kashmir Valley on Thursday.

But in the afternoon a peculiar situation emerged in parts of Srinagar and at some other places when people in large numbers came out of their homes, shops opened and even commuters headed for various destinations, using private cars and motorbikes following an appeal issued by separatists earlier that people may resume normal activity after 2 pm but observe shutdown again for four days from Friday.

Police and other security forces enforcing uninterrupted curfew in the Valley since July 9 to contain widespread protests and mob violence, triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, were initially somewhat baffled at residents flooding the streets and shops reopening and vendors spreading their merchandise on footpaths.

But soon the police authorities came out with a clear-cut announcement: “There will be no relaxation in curfew and restrictions across the Kashmir Valley. The curfew and restrictions will remain strictly in place throughout the day till further orders.” With that, J&K policemen and CRPF jawans in riot gear were again in action forcing closure of shops and asking commuters to withdraw their vehicles from the roads or face law. At places, clashes erupted but soon the streets again wore deserted look with security forces enforcing curfew strictly.

This was done following “orders from the top”, said a senior police officer. Apparently, the authorities wanted to outwit the recently formed issue-based alliance of separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik which virtually calls the shots in the Valley.

But in this case the government wanted to ensure that their “relaxation” diktat is not implemented on the ground. It, however, evoked criticism from residents who have been reeling under curfew since July 9 morning and the government was accused of snatching even few hours of respite from them. The separatists also deplored it terming it anti people. “It is the vendetta and punishment unleashed on the people for supporting the resistance movement and its leaders,” they said in a statement.

Earlier, the police forcibly evicted volunteers from the premises of Srinagar’s government-run SMHS hospital where they had been providing free food to the attendants of the injured for 13 days.

The government had in a controversial decision announced reopening of schools in the Valley’s Ganderbal, Bandipore, Budgam and Baramulla districts after modifying an earlier order under which the summer vacations in the schools and colleges had been extended to July 25 in view of the prevailing law and order situation. But reports pouring here said only few schools in remote areas of these district which have not seen any major incident of violence were open on Thursday yet recorded very thin attendance of students and staff.

Commission Secretary School Education, Shaleen Kabra, claimed that schools in some districts of the Valley and winter zone of Jammu division “opened” after summer break. He said that in rural areas, where staff is mostly local, these witnessed moderate attendance while in semi -urban centres, restricted movements due to bandh calls resulted in thin attendance.

In the evening, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, visited southern Anantnag, worst hit in turbulence with maximum number of fatal casualties in security forces’ firings, to offer personal condolences to the families of slain youth. “Expressing grief and anguish over the loss of precious human lives, particularly the youth, the Chief Minister assured every possible help to the affected families,” an official release said. It quoted her as saying “It is painful to note that these children who have become the victims of the senseless violence belong to the poorest of the poor families”. The release said that the Chief Minister interacted with the parents of the deceased youth and said she is pained to see the trauma they are undergoing due to the loss of their near and dear ones.

Meanwhile, a report from Kargil said that a shutdown was observed in the frontier town in protest against the killings in the Valley. The call for the strike had been issued by Islamia School Kargil, a popular local institution. Earlier similar shutdowns were observed in neighbouring Dras and Chenab valley of Jammu region.