Rakib Altaf
SRINAGAR: Almost the entire valley of Kashmir has been brought under a blanket of curfew to prevent violent anti-India protests.
The valley is seething with anger over the killing of a young man by the security forces in north Kashmir’s Baramulla town three days ago.
The curfew has been imposed in the capital Srinagar and all other towns except for Pampore, Tral, Avantipora, Handwara and Baramulla where partial restrictions have been imposed on the movement of people.
Normal life has been disrupted in the valley for nearly a month since the hanging of Afzal Guru in Delhi’s Tihar jail. The valley was placed under a curfew for seven consecutive days after Guru’s hanging on Feb 9.
The situation had started limping back to normal when the mysterious death of a Kashmiri student in Hyderabad caused a fresh wave of unrest.
Many in Kashmir believe that Mudasir Kamran, a PhD scholar was killed by “Hindu fanatics” or the police after his participation in protest demonstrations over Guru’s execution. The Hyderabad police say he committed suicide.
The latest to come was the killing of a 27-year-old youth, Tahir Ahmed Sofi by the Army in Baramulla on Tuesday.
The killing has caused deep shock and anger in the valley. Even pro-India political groups including the governing National Conference have decried Sofi’s killing as “unprovoked”.
The chief minister Omar Abdullah broke down in the assembly saying he had no explanation for the killing. He lamented that those responsible for it could not be brought to justice due to impunity under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
India’s ruling party, the Congress has once again turned down the demand for withdrawal of AFSPA from the state.
The authorities in Kashmir have justified the imposition of curfew saying that this has been done “to save lives”.
Parts of the valley including old quarters of the Srinagar city have been under a curfew for three days running. Other parts of the valley have witnessed clashes between anti-India protesters and the police all these days.
Fridays are crucial for the law and order situation as people gather in large numbers in Mosques for congregational prayers in the afternoon.
The authorities are fearful of a repeat of the summer unrest in 2010 which saw the killing of at least 110 civilians, mostly young men and children, in firing by police and paramilitaries on protesters.
