Mobile, broadband services restored in Kashmir valley
SRINAGAR: Mobile calling and broadband internet services were restored on Friday night while restrictions were partially eased, unannounced, in parts of Kashmir on Saturday, three days after the death of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Mobile internet services, however, are yet to be restored.
Even though barricades blocking different roads in Srinagar city were in place and security forces were deployed in large numbers, they were allowing people to move about. There was a good presence of people and private vehicles on the roads. Most shops and businesses, however, remained closed and public transport was off road. “Shops are closed but restrictions have been eased in the city centre Lal Chowk. Police and CRPF are not stopping people or private vehicles,” said a resident of Srinagar.
The authorities had imposed a clampdown across Kashmir after the death of Geelani on Wednesday evening. Streets were barricaded and key roads sealed to restrict the movement of people in the clampdown similar to the one imposed after the nullification of the region’s semiautonomous status in 2019.
In Old City, people said restrictions were not as stringent on Saturday. However, some shopowners in Khanyar, who had tried to open for business, said they were asked to close.
“Some roads were open while some remained closed. However, things were a bit easier than the past two days,” said Muneer Ahmad, a resident of
Old City. Same was the case in different towns of the Valley. “Some traffic, mostly the light motor vehicles, resumed and banks have opened. The security forces are less in number on roads,” said Mohammad Abbas, a resident of south Kashmir’s Anantnag.
In Kulgam , however, the restrictions were strict today owing to incidents of stone pelting on Friday. In Baramulla and Sopore towns in north Kashmir, private vehicles were plying while shops were closed and public transport was off the roads. Geelani, the face of separatism in Kashmir for over three decades, died on Wednesday after a prolonged illness at 91.
The police action was presumably to avoid a mass gathering. On Friday evening, IGP Vijay Kumar said that the voice calls on mobile service and broadband of all TSPS shall open in view of the peaceful situation.
“However internet on mobile services shall remain shutdown till Sunday afternoon,” he said.
Police detain miscreants
The situation across Kashmir remained peaceful on Saturday following the death of hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah
Geelani, even as several miscreants were taken into preventive detention to maintain law and order, police said.
IGP Vijay Kumar has appealed to public not to pay any heed to the rumours being maliciously spread by anti-national elements, especially across the border, to disturb the peaceful atmosphere in the valley.
“Today, the situation across Kashmir valley remained peaceful and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere except one minor pelting in Narkara area of Budgam,” a police spokesperson said.