A complete shutdown is being observed in Kashmir Valley on Friday in the wake of killing of two local militants and two civilians in the Pulwama encounter on Thursday.
Several separatist leaders, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik, were placed under house arrest.
A Hurriyat spokesman said the police disallowed the Mirwaiz to step out of his Srinagar residence. The Mirwaiz was scheduled to address the Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid.
All shops, schools, petrol pumps and offices were shut since the morning. A shutdown call was jointly issued by separatist leaders.
The strike call also impacted the inter-state railway services as the authorities suspended the services for security reasons.
Meanwhile, tension prevailed in restive Pulwama as extra forces were deployed to prevent protests. Four people, including two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants and two civilians, were killed in the encounter on Thursday.
In north Kashmir’s Bandipora, hundreds of locals attended the funeral prayers of slain Hizbul Mujahideen Mushtaq Seer, who was killed in a brief encounter in the district on Thursday evening.
