SRINAGAR: A complete shutdown was observed in north Kashmir’s Pattan town for the second day after two local youth, both Hizb militants, were killed in a gunfight with the army and police.
On Tuesday evening, Aqib Rashid and Bilal Ahmed, residents of Palhallan, were killed in Goshbug village in a gunfight with security forces.
Shops and business establishments remained shut even today and transport was off the roads.
Authorities had imposed an undeclared curfew to thwart any protests in the restive area of Palhallan, a local news agency, CNS, reports.
However, the agency reports, police and CRPF personnel had to use dozens of tear smoke shells to disperse a group of protestors who pelted them with stones in the evening.
One youth has been wounded.
Violence, that has killed tens of thousands of people in Kashmir, has come down significantly in the past ten years.
However authorities say there might be a fresh escalation in violence in the coming months.
Reports suggest that militant groups in the valley have been making fresh recruitment and have also carried out many daring attacks on security forces this year.
