Pulwama – Masked gunmen enforced a shutdown in Rohmu area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday.
Official sources told Kashmir News Trust that after 110th day, some shopkeepers had opened up shops in Rohmu area of the district while Sumo vehicles also started plying ferrying passengers, but gunmen emerged in the area on bikes forcing Sumo drivers and shopkeepers to discontinue their business.
Sources added that with the emergence of gunmen, panic created in the area. Shopkeepers closed their shops while Sumo service was discontinued.
Shortly after the incident, soldiers cordoned off the area and questioned people about the occurrence. Sources said that no arrests were made during the operation.
Kashmir has been witnessing spontaneous shutdown since August 5 against the abrogation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, shutdown disrupted the life in other parts of Kashmir including Srinagar city, where shops and business establishments remained shut.
Eyewitnesses said that shops remained closed in major parts of Kashmir Valley including Srinagar, however private transport and skeletal movement of public vehicles were seen on roads.
Official sources informed that unknown youth pelted stones on private vehicles in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district. Two private vehicles including a Scorpio (JK01L/5604) and an Alto (JK05D/1402) suffered damages in the attack.
Life had started limping back to normalcy earlier this week; however, the appearance of posters asking people not to resume business brought the shutdown back.
Besides Srinagar city, the shutdown is being observed in all the districts and towns of Kashmir including Budgam, Pakharpora, Ichgam, Chadoora, Kralpora, Beerwah, Magam, Khag, Ganderbal, Tulmula, Beehama, Lar, Kangan, Pulwam, Pampora, Kakapora, Awantipora, Letpora, Tral, Koil, Kulgam, DamhalhanjiPora, Koimu, Khudwani, Qazigund, Anantnag, Pahalgam, Ashmuqam, Bijbehara, Srigufwara, Khanabal, Shopian, Wachi, Rajpora, Kaprin, Baramulla, Sopore, Rafiabad, Pattan, Dangiwacha, Bandipora, Papchen, Hanjin, Sumbal, Ajas, Safapora, Kupwara, Lolab, Handwara, Kralpora and other areas. (KNT)
Police crack whip against Rumor-mongers: IGP
An unspecified number of persons with suspected terror links have been arrested in Kashmir for allegedly threatening local businessman by sticking posters and impeding the restoration of normalcy in the Valley, said police officials on Saturday.
Police have taken note of the incidents of sticking posters to intimidate shopkeepers and a strong action is being taken against those involved, Kashmir Inspector General of Police S P Pani told PTI.
Pani said police were investigating such incidents and it has been established that in certain cases, there was active terror support behind such incidents.
The investigation is on. In some cases, there are mischievous elements the miscreants, while in others, there are active terror modules behind such incidents, he said.
The IGP said several persons have been arrested from different parts of the Valley including Srinagar.
Several of these modules have been busted and some of the people involved in this have been arrested. Those arrested include four-five prominent modules in Sopore, Awantipora and even Srinagar, Pani said.
The Kashmir valley had limped back to a semblance of normalcy over the past few weeks after about three months of protest shutdown over the abrogation of Article 370, but a spate of threatening posters cropping up overnight, warning shopkeepers and public transport operators in the city here and elsewhere triggered fresh shutdown from Wednesday.
Most of the shops, fuel stations and other business establishments in the city and other areas in the valley, meanwhile, stayed shut for the fourth day on Saturday, said officials.
Public transport largely remained off the roads in the city as well as elsewhere in the Valley, they said.
A few auto-rickshaws and inter-district cabs, however, were plying, they added.
Pre-paid mobile phones and all internet services continued to be suspended since August 5, when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories.
Most of the top level and second rung separatist politicians have been taken into preventive custody while mainstream leaders including two former chief ministers — Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti — have been either detained or placed under house arrest.
The government has detained former chief minister and sitting Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar Farooq Abdullah under the controversial Public Safety act, a law enacted by his father and National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1978 when he was the chief minister.
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