Curfew imposed in Srinagar to scuttle separatist march

SRINAGAR - Shops, offices were closed and public transport was off the roads in Srinagar Monday as authorities re-imposed curfew but only in six areas of the city to scuttle the separatist protest march in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Curfew has been imposed in six police station areas of Srinagar city and Baramulla and Kupwara districts of north Kashmir today (Monday) as a precautionary measure,” a senior police official said here.

The business establishments were closed even in those areas of Srinagar city where the curfew was not imposed, the police official said.

Private transport was, however, seen plying in most uptown areas of Srinagar as parents ferried their children to schools where examaminations of various classes began Monday.

The hardline Hurriyat group headed by Syed Ali Geelani called for a protest march to Baramulla district’s Palhalan town, about 40 km from here, on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road.

Over the last four months of unrest in the Kashmir Valley, the separatists have been calling protest marches as part of their Quit Kashmir campaign. These marches have often turned violent, resulting in deaths of protesters in clashes with the security forces.

As many as 110 people have so far lost their lives in the ongoing unrest in the valley.