Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Aug 20: Curfew, shutdown and protests continued across Kashmir today for the 43rd day while post paid cellular services were restored this morning after a week. The security forces have launched massive man hunt and nocturnal raids across Kashmir against stone pelters and those who foment trouble in Valley.
Curfew remained strictly in force in Srinagar including city centre Lal Chowk and other major towns of the Valley.
Thousands of police and CRPF personnel were deployed in Srinagar city to prevent protests while night curfew remained imposed in several parts of Kashmir including city centre Lal Chowk.
All the entry and exit points leading to Lal Chowk were sealed off by security forces with razor wires, barricades and mobile bunkers were stationed there and the movement of people and vehicles was completely restricted.
Curfew in Srinagar’s old city, Maisuma, Batamaloo and other areas also remained imposed strictly as thousands of security personnel in riot gear guarded the streets since dawn.
The private cellular companies today resumed post paid services in Kashmir valley after a week. While both outgoing and incoming services of postpaid connections have been restored, the outgoing on prepaid connections continued to remain barred including on State-run BSNL. However, the BSNL postpaid connections are functioning ever since the unrest started in Kashmir.
Besides curfew and protests, the shutdown continued across Kashmir valley. Shops, commercial establishments, education institutions and most of the banks remained closed. The Government offices including Civil Secretariat continue to witness low attendance of the employees.
Meanwhile, at least two dozen protesters were injured as security forces fired tear smoke shells and pellets as villagers in Fateh Garh Sheeri in district Baramulla facilitated escape of a group of militants from a security cordon today.
Security forces cordoned off Fateh Garh village this morning after inputs that 4 militants including three foreigners and a local are hiding in the village. As they cordoned off the village, residents came out in protest and facilitated militants’ escape.
Elsewhere in Kashmir valley, security forces started nocturnal raids against the stone pelters and their handlers across Kashmir.
An elderly couple was injured in pellet firing by the security forces in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district in nocturnal raid. Security forces fired pellets on a couple after they resisted the arrest of their son in Kamla village last night in Tral area of South Kashmir.
Security forces last night raided the house of 80-year-old Abdul Qayoom to arrest his son, Shabir Ahmad Fallahi, a Jamat-e-Islami leader. He was not present in the house at the time of the raid but when security forces tried to arrest his brother Noor Muhammad, his parents resisted. The couple was shifted to hospital for treatment.
Several stone pelters were last night arrested from South Kashmir in nocturnal raids. At several places security forces, however, faced tough resistance from locals.
Scores of patients and drivers today protested near Old Secretariat after security forces disallowed ambulances to proceed ahead during curfew. The protesters said that the cops manning the road stopped ambulances and refused allow to them to move in curfew bound areas.
A police official said here that the situation across Kashmir remained by and large peaceful today. “There were some protests and clashes at Reban in Baramulla while as peaceful protests were held at Pahoo and Naina in Pulwama. In the evening, clashes erupted at several areas of old city,” he said.
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