SRINAGAR, Sept 21: Situation in Kashmir remained tense on Friday as sporadic protest demonstrations against the US-made anti Islam film were witnessed across the valley.
In capital Srinagar, Kashmir’s main city, police lobbed teargas shells to quell a protest demonstration by Dukhtaran-e-Millat (daughters of faith) led by its chief Asiya Andrabi.
Witnesses say Andrabi along with more than a dozen of her supporters has been detained. They say police used pepper guns to disperse the protesters, some of who were carrying their their children along.
The women chanted pro-Islam and anti-America and Israel slogans.
There were protests also in many other places in Kashmir such as Budgam, Ganderbal, Handwara, Baramulla, Bandipora, Kupwara, Sopore, Pulwama, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Awantipora, police said.
The situation remained peaceful by-and-large, however, there were clashes between rock-throwing angry youth and police in Srinagar besides Pulwama, Baramulla, and Shopian districts, they said.
Although there was no call for any shutdown by any separatist group, yet authorities imposed an undeclared curfew and had erected concertina wires on all roads leading to the old parts of the city known for violent clashes.
They were cautious about huge demonstrations after Friday prayers, when people pray in congregations at mosques and shrines in the region.
Also Read: Friday protests: Kashmir deploys extra police, imposes undeclared curfew
Most of the times in protest marches snowball into anti-India protests, and authorities fear any escalation could destabilise fragile peace in the region, where a 23-year-old armed conflict is waning.
The authorities had already ordered closure of schools and colleges as a precautionary measure to “pre-empt any mishap”.
The state home department had also asked telecom operators and internet service providers to suspend facilities, which were resumed only at 1650 hrs in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, most of the senior separatist leaders were placed under house detention.
Chairman of the pro-Independence JKLF, Yasin Malik was detained outside his home in Maisuma locality in the civil lines area after he took out a march in protests against the blasphemous video.
