SRINAGAR: Authorities Tuesday extended curfew restrictions to more areas of South Kashmir to foil the Shopian march called by the Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Shopian itself continued to be under strict curfew for the third day running.
Geelani, who had appealed people of South Kashmir to reach Shopian to participate in the joint prayers for the four youth, shot dead by paramilitary forces on Saturday, was himself placed under house arrest.
Reports said that curfew was imposed in Pulwama and Kulgam districts where hundreds of police and paramilitary CRPF men were deployed on roads and people forced to stay indoors. We were not allowed to move out of our homes since morning, the residents of these areas said.
All the entry and exit points connecting the towns with other districts were sealed off with road barricades with spools of concertina wires. At some places, armored vehicles were placed in the middle of the roads to restrict movement of people, a KNS report said .
In curfew bound Shopian groups of youth raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans defied curfew and came out on roads in Baba Mohalla, Bunbazar, Gagran, Hospital Road and Memandar. Police and paramilitary forces fired tear gas shells and resorted to aerial firing in Baba Mohalla to disperse the protesters, residents said.
Amid deployment of forces police imposed restriction on these roads to prevent the people from marching towards the Shopion town.
Panic gripped Lal Chock area of Anantnag when police lobbed dozens of tear gas shells to disperse people who were protesting against the killings of four youth in Shopian on Saturday. However, there was no shutdown in Anannag district.
Meanwhile the authorities on Wednesday placed chairmen of both the factions of Hurriyat, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq besides Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik, , Shabir Ahmad Shah and Nayeem Khan under house arrest to stop them from marching towards Shopian.
Meanwhile when contacted Deputy Commissioner Shopian said that the situation today remained under control and the day passed off peacefully. He added that the district administration would take every possible step to ensure the safety of life and property of the public.
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