SrinagarComplete shutdown and clashes in Kashmir Valley marked fifth anniversary of the execution of Afzal Guru who was secretly hanged and buried inside Tihar jail on 9 February 2013.
The Supreme Court ordered the conviction of Guru in parliament attack case, saying, The collective conscience of the society will be satisfied only if the death penalty is awarded to Afzal Guru.
Joint Hurriyat leadership of Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yaseen Malik had called for the strike on February 9 and on February 11, anniversary of the execution of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front leader, Maqbool Bhat, who was also secretly hanged and buried inside the Tihar jail in 1984.
The leadership has also demanded the return of mortal remains of Guru and Bhat. State government had deployed contingents of the police and paramilitary forces at various places in Srinagars downtown Srinagar and Sopore town the native town of Guru to enforce restrictions imposed by it. There were no Friday prayers in historic Jamia Majid for third consecutive Friday. Most of the business establishments in the Valley remained closed and the traffic movement was also sparse. The government also suspended train services, in wake of the strike call.
GNS reported that despite restrictions, the resistance leaders visited the residence of Afzal Guru in Jageer Ghat, Dubgav village of Sopore to offer condolences and express solidarity.
Chairmen of both factions of Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Geelani, and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq continued to remain under house arrest while Muhammad Yasin Malik has been lodged in Srinagar Central Jail.
The United Jihad Council (UJC), an amalgam of several militant organisations, headed by Syed Salahuddin had also supported the protest shutdown.
Contingents of police and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were deployed in sensitive parts of Kashmir to prevent protests.
Meanwhile, reports of clashes were reported from Sopore, HMT Srinagar, Machowa-Nowgam railway track, and Memander in Shopian.
At least five persons are said to have received pellet injuries in Machowa-Nowagam railway track and Memander, Shopian. The injured youth have been hospitalised.
Among the injured, a youth Showkat Ahmad Ganie received pellet wounds in his eyes at Memnader, Shopian while as another youth namely Umar Mushtaq received pellet injuries in his face. Both the injured youth were taken to nearby respective hospitals where from they have been referred to Srinagar hospital for specialised treatment.
A police spokesperson, however, told GNS that the overall situation remained peaceful barring few stray incidents of stone pelting.
JRL demands return of mortal remains of Bhat, Guru
Hanging of martyrs Muhammad Maqbool Butt and Muhammad Afzal Guru is like a black page of international judicial history. A human was secretly put to gallows on petty pretext of satisfying collective conscience of people, without giving him a last chance to meet his family and handing over his corpse to his family for last rites, said the joint resistance leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Muhammad Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik on Friday.
The said that clamping curfew and restrictions and banning Friday prayers especially at Jamia Masjid have become the most desired practice of the so-called biggest democracy which actually has turned Kashmir into a big concentration camp.
Earlier on the directions of JRL, JKLF leaders and activists despite heavy restrictions gathered at Abi Guzar and staged a protest demanding the return of the mortal remains of Muhammad Maqbool Butt and Muhammad Afzal Guru.
Meanwhile, a memorandum by JRL was read out and unanimously adopted by people at various Masajid and other religious places on the eve of Friday prayers, a statement said.
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