Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Sept 29: Life returned back to normal in South Kashmir district of Shopian today after 22 days of curfew and general strike against the killing of five people, in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) firing on September 7 and 11.
The decision to call off the strike that began from September 22 was taken after intervention by the hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference (G). The local unit of the Hurriyat Conference (G) led by Mohammad Yusuf Falahi and representatives of Beopar Mandal, Bar Association, Traders, Transporters and religious leaders was held yesterday at Nawa Masjid in which decision to call off the strike was taken.
Shops and business establishments reopened this morning and traffic plied normally after 22 days. The shopkeepers were seen busy in cleaning their shops and people were busy in buying the essentials.
The Shopian Fruit market that suffered huge losses due to curfew and strike also opened today and there was much hustle and bustle.
The strike was called off. However, the meeting threatened that people of Gagran and Mamindar will migrate enmass if the CRPF camp, involved in these killings was not shifted from the area by October 10. The meeting decided that the entire population of the two area will assemble along with their beddings and necessary utensils and sit on protest at Main Chowk Shopian.
The meeting also decided to observe complete shutdown on October 4 to press for the demand of shifting the Gagran CRPF camp to be followed by a peaceful sit-in. A complete shutdown was called for October 7.
It was further decided that Kashmir bandh will follow in case the camp was not shifted by October 10.
The meeting also demanded identification of the CRPF personnel involved in killing of five persons and their punishment.
Curfew was imposed in Shopian on September 8 following massive protests after the death of four people in CRPF firing at Gagran on September 7. Police, however, said that one of the deceased was a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant Abdullah Haroon and there was no past record of militant involvement against the other three.
A school bus driver was killed when security forces again opened fire at Gagran on September 11 to disperse demonstrators who were protesting, demanding shifting of the CRPF camp from the area.
Authorities lifted curfew on September 22, but the business and other activities remained paralysed as people were demanding shifting of the camp, action against the CRPF personnel involved in these firing incident, release of all those arrested during the demonstrations and withdrawal of cases against youths for their alleged participation in stone pelting and exgratia to be paid those killed in the firing.
The Government had already directed replacing the CRPF personnel at Gagran camp with Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police and the process of relocation has already started. The gradual shifting of the CRPF camp is going on. However, its complete shifting may take some time.
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