Curbs in Srinagar back, march foiled

The local police and Central paramilitary forces in riot gear on Friday enforced curfew-like restrictions in Srinagar to hold back the “azadi” march on the summer headquarters of the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) along city’s high-security Gupkar Road.

A day ago, posters from an obscure group had appeared in Srinagar and some other parts of the Valley asking people to march on the UNMOGIP office. The security forces overnight sealed all roads leading to the UNMOGIP office by laying concertina barbed wire and placing bunker-vehicles on these. Srinagar’s historic central square Lal Chowk was also sealed off again in a similar fashion.

The remaining parts of Srinagar, including those where restrictions had been lifted or eased a few days ago, also saw the re-imposition of curbs on the ■

movement of people on Friday. Other Valley towns too remained under a lockdown. The authorities said the restrictions were strictly enforced in parts of the Valley, including Srinagar, “as a precautionary measure” in view of the “UNMOGIP chalo” call issued by “miscreants”.

On the third consecutive Friday, no congregations were allowed at Srinagar’s Grand Mosque and other major places of worship. However, people could offer Friday namaz in locality mosques. At places, slogan-chanting crowds held protests over the scrapping of Article 370 and bifurcating J&K into two UTs after the prayers, witnesses said.

In the afternoon, hundreds of men and women emerged out of Srinagar’s Anchar, in the Soura area, in a procession but were soon met by the security forces who fired teargas shells to push them back into the dark alleys.

Subsequently, the area witnessed ding-dong battles between stone-pelting mobs and the security forces. Several people were injured in the teargas and pellet firing, the witnesses said.

Sabeena Jan (name changed), a resident of Anchar, speaking to reporters, accused the police of arresting people randomly. “During the past couple of weeks anybody and everybody from our area is being harassed by the police. Many innocent youth from Anchar have been arrested,” he alleged.

A middle-aged resident who refused to disclose his name said: “Let (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi know that the people of Kashmir will not take it (scrapping of Article 370 and bifurcating the state) lying down. We will fight it out. We’re ready to sacrifice our lives to save our identity, our honour.”

While he was making this statement before the media, a crowd that assembled on the spot yelled “Go India, go back”.