Public Woes Mount As Clampdown Enters Day 6
SRINAGAR (ONS) – Curfew will continue in the Old City police precincts of Zadibal and Nauhatta, and the Urdu Bazaar post on Tuesday as well as a precautionary measure, a senior police officer said.
The belt has been under unbroken curfew since Wednesday evening last week when authorities moved to clamp down on most of the Old City after group clashes broke out in the Hawal-Zadibal quarter.
Though curfew was lifted on Saturday morning, it was re-imposed in Zadibal and adjoining areas following fresh tensions and clashes soon afterwards.
The decision to continue curfew in the Nauhatta and Zadibal precincts on Tuesday was taken to prevent clashes and any possible loss of life and property, the superintendent of the police for Hazratbal, Abdul Qayoom, said.
The police is continuously monitoring the situation, and elders of both communities have been engaged to defuse any possibility of tensions or clashes, he said, adding that the people behind the recent incidents were being identified.
Unbroken curfew has put large sections of the population to hardships with regard to essentials and medicines as the many thorough-fares in the Nauhatta and Zadibal areas remain barricaded to curb movement and manned by heavy contingents of police and paramilitary troops.
With one of the main city routes blocked, the Hazratbal-Lal Chowk artery witnessed long traffic jams throughout the day due to vehicular pressure from uptown and downtown areas.