Srinagar: Life was crippled today in the Kashmir valley, including summer capital, Srinagar, due to separatists’ day-long strike call on the fourth death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru. Police said restrictions on assembly of more than four people under section 144 PC have been imposed in the downtown and Shehar-e-Khas (SeK), besides some areas in civil lines, since early this morning to maintain law and order. Shops and business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the roads in the restriction free areas in the summer capital, Srinagar and adjoining areas.
But, some private vehicles were plying in the civil line and uptown. Work in government offices, banks and other commercial establishments and a public undertaking was also affected in the valley, where a very less number of vendors could also be seen on the roads. Situation in the uptown was no different with shops remained closed and traffic off the roads. The authorities had imposed curfew-like restriction in the downtown and Shehar-e-Khas besides Maisuma in the civil lines. Roads leading to historic Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the city were also closed with barbed wire though only pedestrian were being allowed. The Amira Kadal bridge, leading to Lal Chowk, was also closed for any traffic movement.
Both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference (HC) and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), spearheading the agitation, since July 9, demanding ‘right to self determination’, had called for a strike on death anniversary of Guru, who was on this day in 2013 hanged to death in Delhi’s Tihar jail and later buried there. “A complete shutdown town was observed in this and other north Kashmir towns and tehsil headquarters,” a report from apple township of Sopore, which is the native place of Guru, said. Shops and other business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the roads in entire north Kashmir, where work in government offices and banks were also affected due to strike. Additional security forces had been deployed in Sopore and other major town to prevent any law and order problem.(UNI)