Tension which mounted following the death of four civilians in the Border Security Force firing in Ramban district two days ago seemed to be receding on Saturday even as curfew and shutdown affected life for the second day in the Kashmir valley.
Curfew remained in force in the State capital of Srinagar, other district headquarters and major towns in the Valley.
Heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces continued.
The separatist-sponsored shutdown was in force elsewhere. Official sources said that there was no major violation of curfew.
The separatist leaders have given different calls for shutdown for one to three days. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front leader Yasin Malik and the Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabir Shah have been taken into custody and others like the two Hurriyat Conference heads, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, remained under house arrest.
Official sources said that there was no major violation of curfew, a major clash or demonstration. Small groups of youngsters, however, pelted stones and the police and Central Reserve Police Force forced them to disperse with the use of baton charge and teargas smoke at about a dozen places in Srinagar and other towns.
50 injured in clashes
Unofficial reports put the number of the injured as 50. However, an official press release said that 31 police and CRPF personnel besides eight civilians were injured in stone pelting and clashes at Tahab Chowk and Newa in Pulwama, Cement Bridge and Azadgung in Baramulla, Papchan, Gulshan Chowk and Naidkhai in Bandipora, a couple of places in Shopian, Khudwani in Kulgam and Galwanpora and Humhama in Budgam.
