Curfew imposed as locals gear up to mark ‘black day’
Thousands of Indian troops imposed a curfew in Kashmir yesterday, with razor wire and steel barricades blocking main roads a day ahead of the one-year anniversary of the restive region being stripped of its autonomy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed direct rule last August 5, promising peace and prosperity after three decades of violence that have seen tens of thousands of people killed in an anti-India uprising.
Officials announced a two-day “full curfew” on Monday citing intelligence reports of looming protests in the Muslimmajority region of seven million people, where locals have called for the anniversary to be marked as a “black day”.
Pass must for movement
Police vehicles patrolled the main city Srinagar after dark on Monday and again yesterday morning, with officers using megaphones to order residents to remain indoors. A “full curfew” means people can only move around with an official pass, usually reserved for essential services such as police and ambulances.
The Himalayan region is already subject to restrictions to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, with most economic activities limited and public movement curtailed.
On Monday morning, new razor-wire and steel barricades were placed on main roads on Srinagar, and yesterday thousands of government troops fanned across the city and surrounding villages.
“Police in vehicles moved through our locality and from loudspeakers ordered us to stay indoors for two days — as if we were not already caged,” said Imriyaz Ali, who lives in the Srinagar old town.
“I saw mobile phones of two of my neighbours taken away by soldiers when they got out to buy bread from a local baker early in the morning,” said one villager by phone from Nazneenpora village.
Painful memories
For locals, the new curfew brought back memories of the weeks-long clampdown a year ago. Then, a total communications blackout was imposed, with phone and internet access cut and tens of thousands of fresh troops moved into the valley — already one of the world’s most militarised regions.
Around 7,000 people were taken into custody — including three former chief ministers. Hundreds remain under house arrest or behind bars to this day.
“Indian government claims that it was determined to improve Kashmiri lives ring hollow one year after the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional status,” Meenakshi Ganguly from Human Rights Watch said in a statement.