Kashmir witnessed a complete shutdown on Monday, as separatists called for a strike to protest against the killing of two civilians and four local militants in the Kulgam encounter on Sunday.
All shops, business centres and private offices remained closed in the Valley. There was thin traffic on the roads.
Additional security personnel were deployed in volatile pockets of Srinagar and large parts of south Kashmir. Kulgam and adjoining Shopian were sealed. There were reports of sporadic protests in north Kashmir’s Palhalan area.
Dukhtaran-e-Milat chief Asiya Andrabi was detained early in the morning.
Seven people, including two soldiers, died in an encounter on Sunday in Kulgam, 70 km south of Srinagar.
A civilian died later when security forces allegedly fired at the crowds to disperse protesters.
Army pays tribute
The Army on Monday paid homage to the deceased soldiers, Lance Naik Bhandoriya Gopal Singh and Sepoy Raghubeer Singh, at the Badami Bagh Cantonment here. Major-General K.K. Pant, chief of Chinar Corps, laid the wreaths. Paying tributes, an Army spokesman said that to approach a house where the terrorists were confirmed to be hiding called for raw courage.
