Valley observes shutdown on Hurriyat call

Srinagar: Pitched battles between pro-freedom protesters and government forces on Saturday marked general strike called by Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani against Qamarwari shootout and human rights violations in the state.

Reports received here said that groups of youth appeared on the roads at Khanyar, Nowpora, Nowhatta, Gojwara, Safa Kadal and other areas of the old city early morning and staged pro-freedom and anti-India demonstrations. The protesters pelted rocks and stones on paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and police that were deployed in advance in wake of the strike. The forces returned the stones trigerring off ding-dong clashes. However, no reports of any injury were received.

Heavy stone-pelting clashes between youth and deployments of police and CRPF was also reported from Rambagh in civil lines. The uniformed men chased away baton the protesters.

At Khanyar in old city, police said, a bus (JK01N-9073) of Tibetan school, Hazari Bazar was intercepted by unknown men early this morning. The unknown men asked the driver and the students to come out of the bus before setting it on fire, the police said.  “A case has been registered and efforts are on to nab the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” a police spokesman told .

Clashes also broke out between protesters and government forces in Islamabad and Shopian districts of South Kashmir. However, no one was hurt in the clashes.

Meanwhile, shutdown was observed in Srinagar and other major towns of the Valley against the death of three youth in Qamarwari shootout called by Geelani led Hurriyat faction.

Almost all shops, private offices, banks and financial institutions, petrol pumps, business establishments remained closed throughout the day in response to the strike call. However, thin attendance was witnessed in government run offices and educational institutions. Public transport was also off the roads, while private vehicles were seen plying on all the major roads and highways across the Valley.

Police said that the situation remained largely peaceful in the entire Kashmir Valley throughout the day today.

“Barring one unfortunate incident at Rangar-Stop Khanyar, this morning, where miscreants set ablaze a School Bus, elsewhere there were no reports of any untoward incident as the situation remained by and large peaceful during the day throughout Kashmir Valley,” the spokesman said.