Curfew relaxed in Kashmir Valley, 30 arrested

July 10, 2010 11:32 am | Updated November 28, 2021 09:20 pm IST - Srinagar

Curfew relaxation continued in the Kashmir Valley, except in Sopore and Pulwana, on Saturday to allow people to offer special prayers on Shab-e-Mehraj festival while police picked up 30 people for allegedly instigating mobs.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, meanwhile, appealed to PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti to reconsider her party’s decision to stay away from an all-party meeting convened by him in Srinagar on Monday to discuss the present situation.

Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq offered prayers in historic Jama Masjid and proceeded to Zadibal where he was joined by another separatist leader Syed Hasan Budgami.

The two leaders led a peaceful procession for some distance. The protest march was later dispersed peacefully by police at University Gate near Hazratbal.

Police also detained a separatist leader of Anantnag Qazi Yasir and booked him under the Public Safety Act. He was later shifted to Jammu Prison.

Some protesters came out into the streets in Qamarwari, Naaz cinema, Nowhatta and Maisuma of the city this morning but were chased away by the police. Restrictions were imposed in Maisuma after the protests.

The four-day-old curfew was relaxed in the entire valley last night following a high-level meeting presided by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to enable people offer special prayers overnight at the Hazratbal shrine for Shab-e-Mehraj, an important event in the religious calendar here.

People continued to throng the Hazratbal Shrine on Saturday to have a glimpse of a holy relic of Prophet Mohammed which is shown to people after every prayer on Shab-e-Mehraj (night of ascent). Nearly 10,000 people had taken part in three special prayers till evening.

Inspector General Kashmir Range Farooq Ahmed said the situation was peaceful in the valley.

“There was no curfew in Anantnag and Baramulla but restrictions had to be imposed in certain parts as miscreants started pelting stones on police,” he said.

The Amarnath Yatra passed off peacefully from Anantnag to Pahalgam. So far over one lakh pilgrims have visited the holy cave shrine during last 10 days for which Jammu and Kashmir Police has made an elaborate arrangement.

Shops and business establishments were open and traffic was plying normally in the city.

However, in Pulwama district of south Kashmir curfew had to be imposed due to tension triggered by a media report that one person had died in police firing which was denied by authorities.

People started coming out on the streets despite the administration announcing that the news was incorrect. Before things could go out of hands, the authorities decided to impose curfew.

Kakapora area of Pulwama district had witnessed pitched battle between mobs and security personnel last evening which resulted in injuries to 16 security personnel and five civilians.

Curfew continued to be in force in Sopore.

Jammu and Kashmir Police, meanwhile, continued its crackdown on stone pelters and arrested 30 people since last night.

Local newspapers failed to hit the stands for the third day today despite authorities lifting the restrictions on the movement of mediapersons due to curfew in Srinagar and certain other parts of the valley and issued fresh curfew passes to them.

However, various media associations decided not to print any newspapers as they claimed that enough passes were not issued.

The last time the newspapers did not come out was in 2008 at the height of the Amarnath land agitation. Publication of dailies at that time was suspended for four days. Newspaper publication had also remained suspended for 40 days during elections in 1996.

Curfew was clamped in Srinagar on Tuesday and army moved in to assist the civil administration in maintaining law and order after escalation in violence in the Valley.

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