Srinagar/Nov,19: Following the call for shutdown by the Joint Separatists Leadership (JRL) the district administration Srinagar Sunday morning imposed restriction for the second consecutive day. A police officual said ‘restrictions in eight police station areas continued for the second day today’.
He said the curbs were in force in Khanyar, M R Gunj, Nowahtta, Rainawari, Safakadal, Maisuma, Kralkhud and Parimpora police station areas of the city. The restrictions were imposed as a preventive measure to maintain law and order in view of the strike called by the separatists.
The restrictions were first imposed on Saturday in the wake of killing of a militant in a shootout with police in the outskirts of the city on Friday. Three militants travelling in a car opened fire on a police team at the Zakura crossing on Srinagar-Ganderbal road, killing sub-inspector Imran Tak and injuring a special police officer (SPO) on Friday evening. The police team managed to intercept the car and apprehended one militant, but two others fled from the scene.
Later, police came to know that Mugees Ahmad Mir, one of the two militants who had managed to escape, was brought home dead. Mir, a resident of Parimpora in the city, was brought home dead last evening after he was injured in the shoot-out.
Mir’s killing was followed by the killing of six LeT militants in Hajin area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district in an encounter yesterday. Later in the night, the separatists called for a shutdown on Sunday against these killings.
As reported already Joint Separatists Leadership (JRL) comprising chairmen of the Hurryat Conference (G) and Hurriyat Conference (M)- Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq – and JKLF Mohammad Yasin Malik, called for complete shutdown for today against the cordon and search operations being carried out by armed forces in the Valley.
The separatist trio said, “section of youth feels forced to find expression to their political aspirations and will by resorting to armed means because of stubbornness on the part of Government of India with regard to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute”.
Most of the shops, fuel stations and other business establishments were shut in Srinagar due to the strike, the police official said. The official said public transport was sparse, but private cars, cabs and auto-rickshaws were seen plying in many areas of the city. Similar reports were received from other district headquarters of the valley, he said.
