Kashmir unrest: Curfew clamped in Pulwama

Normal life remained disrupted in the Valley for the 73rd straight day

Curfew was clamped in Pulwama district of Kashmir on Monday, while it remained in force in some other areas of the Valley including in parts of Srinagar, in view of the separatists call for a protest march to three districts.

Normal life also remained disrupted in the Valley for the 73rd straight day.

A police official said curfew has been imposed in Pulwama district, while curfew-like restrictions on the movement of people have been placed in some areas of Baramulla district on Monday, while the curbs remain in force in Shopian and five police station areas of downtown (interior city) along with Batamaloo in uptown Srinagar.

A police spokesman had earlier said that curfew had been imposed in Baramulla. However, SSP Baramulla Imtiaz Hussain said there was no curfew in the district.

The police official said the curbs have been imposed to maintain law and order in view of the separatists call for a march to the three districts of Baramulla, Pulwama and Srinagar.

The official said restrictions on the assembly of people continued to remain in force in the rest of the Valley.

The separatists have asked the people of north Kashmir districts of Bandipora and Kupwara to march towards Baramulla, people of south Kashmir districts of Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag to march to Pulwama and people of Central Kashmir districts of Ganderbal and Budgam to march towards Srinagar.

The separatists, who are spearheading the current agitation in the Valley, have extended the protest programme till September 22.

Shops, business establishments and petrol pumps continued to remain shut, while public transport was off the roads.

However, there was increased movement of private cars in civil lines areas, especially around the city centre Lal Chowk here, on Monday.

Schools, colleges and other educational institutions also continued to remain shut.

Mobile telephony, except the postpaid connections of BSNL, and the mobile Internet services continued to remain snapped across the Valley.

As many as 81 people, including two cops, have been killed in the unrest that broke out a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces in South Kashmir on July 8.