Srinagar: Normal life remained paralyzed in Kashmir for the consecutive 81st day on Tuesday due to a shutdown called by separatists and restrictions imposed by the authorities.
A police official said that curfew was not in place anywhere, however restrictions on the assembly of people were placed in many parts of the Valley as a precautionary measure. Shops, petrol pumps and other business establishments remained closed, while public transport remained off the roads. There was, however, an increase in the movement of private cars and auto-rickshaws in and around the city centre in the summer capital Srinagar. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions also remained closed across the Valley.
Groups of youth according to reports pelted stones at various place on the private vehicles forcing them to take alternate routes. A police official said that a youth whom they identified as Furqan Hamid of Zoonimar was injured after he was hit by a stone while riding a Scooty near Aali Masjid area of Safakadal.
Government Forces foiled Kanilwan pro-freedom March on Tuesday imposing severe restrictions in Kanelwan area of Bijbehara town of Anantnag district and its adjacent villages including Matipora, Chandpora, Pishkori, Srigufwara, Khiram, Wofzan, Chunigund, Akoora and Nanhil. Witnesses said that hundreds of security personnel had been deployed in these villages to foil the pro-freedom march. However, locals from Chanpora according to witnesses clashed with police when they were stopped from marching towards the venue. Government forces fired tear-smoke shells to disperse them while locals alleged that forces put dried paddy grass on fire and even damaged a cow-shed. “The government forces lobbed tear-gas shells as a result dried paddy grass caught fire. They also damaged a cow shed, looted apple boxes, damaged houses, smashed windowpanes and thrashed people,” the locals said.
The waling women said that government forces ravaged the kitchens, the gardens, the farms and houses.
“We were peeling vegetables,” said a woman in pain after facing batons and gun butts, “when they raided our locality and unleashed hell. They didn’t even spare women and children.”
Gulzar Ahmed Lone and Ghulam Rasool Lone, two locals from the village alleged that government forces stole apple boxes from their yards and bundled them into security vehicles. Another local said that the men in uniform burnt down his dried grass in the paddy field. “They want to muzzle our voices by using brute force, little did they know their repressive actions will have serious reactions,” a group of people said.
For Kanelwan March, according to locals, people had been making arrangements from past 15 days and even posters were distributed urging people to join the pro-freedom rally. Reports said that despite government forces presence and ‘intimidation’ people organized the scheduled rally.
Reports from South Kashmir’s Kulgam district said that unknown persons set a Panchayat Ghar on fire in Kujjar Redwani area of the district. Witnesses said that unidentified persons sprinkled petrol the building and set it ablaze. Fire tenders were rushed to douse the fire, however the building suffered massive damage.
In Dadsara Tral area of Pulwama district large number of women organized a pro-freedom protest and chanted pro-Islamic and anti-India slogans. Carrying placards and banners seeking resolution to Kashmir problem and immediate end to innocent civilian killings, the protesting women took out a march that culminated peacefully.
Women’s rallies were also organized in Srinagar’s Batamaloo area and North Kashmir’s Sopore town.
In Botengo area of Sopore, hundreds of women took out a pro-freedom rally. Eye witnesses said that the women raised pro-freedom and anti-India freedom slogans.
The protest later dispersed off peacefully.
In Srinagar’s Batamaloo area, Dukhtaran-i-Millat, held a pro-freedom congregation in a Jamia Masjid. “Hundreds of ladies attended it,” an eye witness said.
At Mazhama Beerwah area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district protests and clashes broke out after government forces allegedly set ablaze the dried grass in the paddy field. “After a stone-pelting incident, the forces lobbed tear-smoke shells into the field and target paddy dry grass that went into flames within no time. This irked people who hit to roads and clashed with armed forces,” locals said.
Locals from Samboora Pampore also alleged that Government Forces caused damage to property without any provocation, a charge refuted by police.
LeT Issues ‘Befitting Lesson’ Threat To Edu Min
Srinagar: Militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) on Tuesday warned of “teaching a befitting lesson” to J&K education minister Naeem Akhtar if he “again tries to speak against shutdowns” while making it clear that “current uprising is not against the education but the Indian forcible occupation”.
In a press statement, a spokesman of LeT Dr Abdullah Ghaznavi. Quoting the outfit chief Mehmood Shah as saying, he said, the Kashmiris are educated enough to take good or bad decisions.
“Our present uprising is not against the education but the forcible occupation of India for which the whole nation has united,” he said. “Naeem Akhtar should mend his ways else we will teach him a befitting lesson.”
51 More Stone Pelter Arrested: Police
Srinagar: The situation remained by and large normal on Tuesday in the Kashmir valley, where 51 more alleged stone pelters were arrested by police during the past 24 hours.
A police spokesman said that the situation remained by and large normal and peaceful yesterday although a couple of stray stone pelting incidents were reported.
He said an incident of arson was reported from Kulgam this afternoon. “Miscreants in their attempt to disturb the situation set on fire a Panchayat Ghar at village Kujar in district Kulgam,” he said.
He said in its continuous efforts to curb the activities of trouble mongers police arrested 51 miscreants during past 24 hours who were involved in different offences of causing disturbance in the situation in the valley.
Spokesman claimed that during the day good movement of traffic was observed in the valley including the city Srinagar. A large number of street vendors selling different articles of daily use were on the streets of Srinagar city, he said.
Army Refutes It killed Horses
SRINAGAR: Army has refuted the allegations of any involvement in the killing of 13 horses in Prisal, Kulgam on 25 Sep as reported in some newspapers.
“The nature of allegations that the Army had purposely “rammed their Casper repeatedly into the livestock” is viciously fabricated and even bizarre, evidently leveled with ulterior motives,” a Defence spokesman said here today. “It is a clear attempt at vilification of the fair image of the Army and evinces a pattern in some sections of the media to malign the security forces especially in these sensitive times.”
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