Shutdown, curfew continue for 51st day

Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 28

The shutdown across the Kashmir valley and curfew in parts of the region continued for 51st day even as fewer protests took place on a rain-splashed Sunday.

The markets across the region remained shuttered and all commercial activity also remained suspended as unrest, sparked by the killing of a militant commander last month, continues to head towards uncertainty with no sign of an immediate end.

The traffic movement on the roads here remained abysmal. There was no let-up in the deployment of police and paramilitary personnel even as restrictions, including curfew, continued in parts of the region.

The shutdown and curfew in the region has continued with little respite for the past eight weeks since the unrest erupted.

Sunday, which marked the 51st day of the ongoing unrest, also witnessed widespread downpour which considerably brought down the temperature and forced most residents to stay indoors.

A police officer said fewer protests took place in region today while curfew remained in effect in Pampore and Pulwama towns, and in areas under the jurisdiction of three police stations in Srinagar. He said there were a few incidents of stone-throwing, most of them in Anantnag and Pulwama districts and in Srinagar.

The state government spokesman said the curfew was lifted from Anantnag district and major areas of Srinagar. The restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPC, however, continued to remain imposed in the Valley. “Increased movement of vehicular traffic and people was observed in major areas of the Valley, including Srinagar,” the spokesman said.

The situation across the Kashmir valley has remained tense since July 8 evening when militant commander Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight in remote village of Anantnag. Burhan’s killing sparked widespread demonstrations and unrest that has continued since then.

More than 60 civilians have been killed in different districts of the region as security forces opened fire to quell protests over the past eight weeks.

Meanwhile, around 6,000 candidates from Kashmir division appeared in the UGC-Net examination that was conducted at 16 centres in the city today.