A spontaneous shutdown by shopkeepers and a “counter civil curfew” worries the security establishment, as the administration lifted stringent restrictions on the movement of vehicles in many parts of Kashmir on Wednesday.
A group of shopkeepers dodged multiple security barricades and protesters’ obstacles from the old city to reach upmarket Polo View in Lal Chowk, but decided against opening their Kashmir arts shops.
“I just come to check the locks of my shop. We are heavily dependent on tourist footfall. This season is gone. We sit outside our shops and don’t open. This closed shop is my small expression of anger [against the Centre’s move],” said Niyaz Ahmad, who deals in shawls.
Meanwhile, schools in the Kashmir Valley continue to register dismal attendance of students in contrast to staff presence, according to officials.
