Kashmir Valley observes shutdown, normal life hit

Normal life was affected in Kashmir Valley today following a day-long strike call by Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani to protest communal clashes in Kishtwar even as the separatist leader extended the shutdown by another day.
Geelani, the hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman, had called for a state-wide complete shutdown tomorrow as well, a spokesman of the separatist amalgam said in a statement here.
Shops, business establishments and petrol pumps were closed following a call for shutdown by Geelani to protest the Kishtwar incident.
Attendance in government offices and banks was thin, officials said.
Schools, however, remained shut on account of Eid holiday while colleges were closed on account of summer vacation.

Public transport was off the roads but private cars and auto rickshaws plied, the officials said.
The communal clashes had left two persons dead and 20 injured yesterday in Kishtwar where curfew was clamped and Army called in to assist the local administration in maintaining law and order.