SRINAGAR, June 29: Authorities imposed an ‘undeclared curfew’ in many parts of Srinagar for the fourth day on Friday to pre-empt protests and a march to Dastageer Sahib shrine which was gutted in huge fire early this week, witnesses said.
Thousands of police and paramilitary in riot gear patrolled deserted streets, erected barricades and warned residents to stay indoors in downtown Srinagar.
In uptown Srinagar and other parts of the valley, shops, business establishments and educational institutions are closed. Traffics too has been partially affected with public transport off the roads in most of the places.
Life in the entire valley has been thrown out of gear since Monday when the shrine suffered massive dmage in a fire. On Tuesday people observed a strike called by separatists to mourn the incident and the authorities clamped an unofficial curfew in parts of capital Srinagar fearing violent demonstrations.
Subsequently the shutdown and the curfew continued on Wednesday as well.
The Grand Mufti of Kashmir, Basheeruddin had called for a shutdown on Thursday and also appealed to people to march towards Khanyar in downtown Srinagar – where the shrine was located – to protest the incident.
Police has imposed restrictions in Khanyar, Maharaj Gunj, Rainawari, Nowhatta, Safakadal and Kralkhud police station areas, a police spokesman said.
The state government has ordered a probe into the fire incident and announced that the shrine will be reconstructed.
But, Kashmir’s main opposition, the People’s Democratic Party, and region’s separatists have rejected government probe and demanded an independent enquiry.
In view of the proposed march to the gutted shrine today, government has placed the Grand Mufti Bashiruddin Ahmad, his deputy Mufti Nasir-ul Islam and the entire separatist leadership under house arrest.
