SRINAGAR: Curfew was lifted for a brief period Wednesday evening in Shopian after 12 days, reports reaching here said.
Curfew was clamped on the apple rich town on September 7 after CRPF personnel stationed at Gagran camp shot dead four persons of who police later admitteed that three were ordinary civilians. The deaths sparked days of rage prompting authorities to clamp curfew in tyhe entire South Kashmir. One more civilian, a 28 year old youth was shot dead by paramilitary forces when they fired on a group of protesters demanding de-militarization of the area on September 11.
Deputy Commissioner, Shopian, Bashir Ahmed Bhat said, curfew was relaxed in the district following improvement in situation. If the area remains calm then we will lift the restrictions completely, he said.
As we have already informed locals and eyewitnesses of the firing incident on September 7 and September 11 to come forward and record their statements but as of now no one has come forward to do so, DC admitted.
Zahoor Ahmed, a resident of Gagren area said, “We were allowed to move outside our homes after a period of 11 days. We were caged like wild animals all these days, he said.
Zahoor said replacing arms with arms was not public demand. They are sending CRPF to other places and replacing them with Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police (JKAP). Our demand is to demilitarize the Gagren area and bring culprits to book, Zahoor added.
Earlier all the entry and exit points leading to Shopian town and towards the residential areas were completely sealed. Even though there has been no incident of violence in past few days, the authorities have been reluctant to ease the restrictions, said residents. They said police and CRPF had erected barricades and bunkers at many places and people were not allowed to venture out.
Shops, schools, offices and petrol pumps remained were closed while traffic was off the roads. Heavy deployment of police and CRPF was put in place in the town.
KCSDS Flays Continous Curfew
KCSDS meanwhile condemned the continued ‘back breaking’ curfew in Shopian after the carnage of civilians in the area.
Demanding an immediate lifting of curfew and restrictions in the town and adjoining villages and ensuring the supply of essential eatables to the inhabitants of Shopian who are facing acute scarcity of food items and medicines, KCSDS said in a statement that, “It has become apparent that the state is hell- bent on terrorizing Kashmiris into submission”.
“We deplore and denounce in strongest terms the forces repressive measures of barging into many Mohallas and breaking of window panes and ransacking many residential houses .We demand stern action against crimes against humanity and subseguent restrictions on the movements of the civilians. All these methods smack of barbarianism and far from the claims of democratic rule of law” it said.
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