Srinagar: The Curfew in Kashmir has not been relaxed as the situation is still tense. The matter further worsened when a 14-year-old boy, who was wounded in clashes with security forces died in a hospital.
All 10 district headquarters have been under curfew since Saturday, when Afzal Guru, who belonged to Sopore, was hanged in New Delhi for his role in the Dec 13, 2001 attack on parliament.
As tension continued in the valley, Ubaid Ahmad Rather, who had been injured Sunday in clashes with security forces in Watergam (Rafiabad) village in Baramulla district died in Srinagar’s super specialty Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Soura hospital, family sources said. Four others had been injured.
Ubaid and another critically injured person Sajad Ahmad had been referred to the Srinagar hospital by doctors in Baramulla district Sunday evening. In another incident, a youth identified as Tariq Ahmad Bhat drowned in Jhelum river.
Police said the youth had died after a boat capsize while five others were saved during the incident. However, villagers in Batwina village of north Kashmir Ganderbal district said he was being chased by security forces during the protests and jumped into the river in panic.
Taking no chances with the law and order situation, authorities continued curfew in the valley.
On Monday, separatists had already called for a protest shutdown to coincide with the death anniversary of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) founder Muhammad Maqbool Butt, who was hanged in Tihar Jail this day in 1984.
Authorities have said there would be no restrictions on the movements of medical staff and all others responsible for maintaining essential services in the valley.
“Their identity cards should be treated as curfew passes by the security forces,” an official told reporters.
However, a resident in the old city of Srinagar said he wanted to buy medicines for his ailing mother but security forces in the area did not allow him to venture out.
“I was told to go back to my home as no civilian movement was being allowed in our area,” he said, refusing to be named.
Similar complaints filtered out from other parts of the city. Some people said they were running out of food.
“For the last three days we somehow managed with our stock of food, but today there is hardly anything to cook except rice. We have not been able to get milk, bread etc. also during the curfew,” said another resident in the old city.
Things were better on the outskirts where some small shops opened for short periods.
A resident of Buchpora locality in the city said he went out Monday morning to buy bread, milk and vegetables from a market in the area.
No print editions of local newspapers could hit the stands here for the second day as editors said their print publications were being disallowed by the authorities.
Cable television operations in Srinagar city also remained suspended for the third day while reports from other district headquarters said cable television operations continued normally there.
No internet services were available in the Valley today on dongle appliances or mobile phones as all service providers shut services without any intimation to their subscribers three days back.
BSNL broadband facilities, however, worked in the summer capital Srinagar and other places in the Valley.
Authorities are tight lipped about any relaxation in the curfew. Given past experience, it is likely that the curfew might continue in the valley till Friday.
“The authorities will have to relax curfew in some areas tomorrow or the day after. People cannot remain confined to their homes for such a long period,” said Javaid Shah, who lives in Lal Bazaar locality here.
All examinations and interviews scheduled for this week have been postponed by university authorities in Srinagar without specifying the new dates for these.