Srinagar: Normal life in Kashmir Valley remained affected on the 99th consecutive day due to the shutdown though greater movement of private vehicles was observed in some parts of Srinagar city.
Skeletal movement of private vehicles was seen in old Srinagar city, outskirts of uptown, North and South Kashmir.
However all the shops, business establishments, schools, colleges, petrol pumps remained shut across Valley.
Restrictions according to police on the assembly of people under Section 144 CrPc remained in force throughout the Valley.
Large contingent of government forces had been deployed in restive parts of Valley.
The authorities on Friday night restored outgoing call facility on prepaid mobile phone connections after three months. However, mobile Internet services continued to remain suspended across Kashmir.
Dozens of persons were wounded during intense clashes between protesters and government forces at Tengapora Batamaloo area of Srinagar city.
The clashes started from Friday night and continued on Saturday too. The locals alleged that government forces on Friday night not only broke the windowpanes of Ibrahim Masjid but also caused damage to residential houses. They said that government forces during a nocturnal raid damaged power transformers, parked vehicles, water tanks and electric appliances.
A youth suffered bullet injury in South Kashmir’s Shopian district when government forces fired bullets and pellets to disperse people who were protesting against alleged vandalism at the hands of armed forces Saturday morning.
Eyewitnesses said that more than a dozen people were injured after clashes erupted in Werpora village of Shopian against alleged beatings by the government forces on Saturday morning.
Witnesses and reports said that forces thrashed the inmates after barging into their houses in Werpora village of Nagbal at around 4 am on Saturday.
Properties worth millions of rupees were vandalized by the forces, they said.
People took to streets and staged massive protests against the forces' action, said a local. "They (forces) fired pellets and bullets on protesters," he said.
One of the youths has received a bullet injury and was shifted to District Hospital Anantnag for treatment. Doctors at DH Anantnag confirmed that a youth hit by a bullet in his leg was being treated there.
Police however refuted the allegations leveled by locals saying that on a tip off, police and security forces cordoned off the Urpora -Nagbal area and conducted the search operations early Saturday morning. “At the time of withdrawal miscreants in large numbers from Hushnpora Daschnu and Humana etc assembled and pelted stones on the joint party. Thirty eight police CRPF/Security force men were injured and four of their vehicles were damaged. Police and Security force men exercised maximum restraint. The miscreants were chased away by using mild force. Some private vehicles were damaged in stone pelting,” Shopian police claimed.
The family members of a Hurriyat leader in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Saturday alleged that they were beaten by government forces on Friday night.
The family members of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat District president Kulgam Muhammad Shaban said that they were thrashed by forces during a nocturnal raid at their house in Wanpora Qaimoh.
They said that forces vandalized their property as well.
People staged massive protest at Rohmu Pulwama against the detention of three youth under Public Safety Act. According to locals government booked three native youth Manzoor Ahmed, Bilal Ahmed and Hilal Ahmed under draconian PSA. They have been lodged in Central Jail Srinagar, Sub Jail Kupwara and Kathua Jail. The protesters amid pro-freed slogans took out a rally in the area and denounced the random arrests of youth during nocturnal raids.
POLICE VERSION
Curfew lifted from all areas: Police
According to a statement issued by the Zonal Police Headquarters Kashmir, situation across the Kashmir valley remained “largely peaceful” on Saturday.
“Following improvement in the situation curfew was completely lifted from the remaining Srinagar parts today,” the statement issued through J&K Information department said adding, “during the day no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the valley.”
The statement said, “with the increase in traffic movement in the Srinagar city and in other towns of Valley the life returned to normal across Kashmir today.”
Meanwhile, the statement added, “in its continuous drive against the trouble-mongers police arrested 48 such individual involved in disrupting the public order in different parts of the valley.”
“As has been reported earlier prepaid mobile telephony was completely restored across Kashmir last night,” the statement said.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
ACT NOW |
MONTHLY | Rs 100 | |
YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |