By Sheikh Imran Bashir,Agence India Press,
Srinagar: The authorities relaxed curfew in eight police stations in Srinagar and several areas in south and central Kashmir on Saturday.
“The curfew was lifted completely in Budgam, Ganderbal, and Handwara districts,” said a spokesman of the district magistrates.
In Srinagar, there was relaxation in curfew from 11.30 am to 4 pm, said police.
Earlier on Saturday, the relaxation period was set from 11.30 am to 2 pm but was extended by 2 hours, they said.
Curfew was relaxed in areas falling under Rajbagh, Shergarhi, Rammunshi Bagh, Kothi Bagh, Harwan, Nishat, Karan Nagar and Pantha Chowk police stations.
It, however, continued without any relaxation in the old city areas of Srinagar, as well as Baramulla, Sopore and Kupwara in north Kashmir besides Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam towns in south Kashmir.
A senior police officer told Agence India Press that we are considering relaxing curfew in some other areas of Kashmir on Sunday also, but depend upon the situation.
However, demonstrations continued with one more youth injured in Warpora in Sopore, north Kashmir yesterday, succumbing to his injuries in the morning in a Srinagar hospital.
Rameez Ahmad Reshi (22) was critically injured in security forces firing on protesters in Sopore area, breathed his last at SK Institute of Medical Sciences. He was admitted on Friday evening after being hit by a bullet in Sopore’s Warpora area during demonstration. The death toll of civilians since June 11 has now risen to 50.
No major incident of violence was reported from anywhere in the Kashmir Valley on Saturday, reports of protests came from several areas. The security forces fired on the procession at Chanapora in Srinagar and in North Kashmir’s Rafiabad area reports of major protest procession, but no reports of injury were found when this report was filled and valley remained peaceful after weeks of violent protests and deaths.
In north Kashmir, Ladoora area of Rafiabad of Baramulla district, scores of people hold peaceful demonstrations today against the Army troopers’ unrestrained behavior there last night.
According to locals, two people were critically injured, when Army troopers beat up the villagers without any provocation.
Hundreds of people from Ladoora, Nadihal, Achabal and neighbouring towns had held a peaceful march at Watergam yesterday. After the march ended peacefully and people returned, the Army troopers of 32-RR barged into residential houses and thrashed up inmates, they said.
“Army cops enter into the shop of Riyaz Ahmed (a local) and dragged him out. They beat him too badly and when another young man Khursheed Ahmad tried to rescue him troopers jump upon him and beat him,” they said. Both of them received multiple injuries, they added.
However, both were shifted to District Hospital in Baramulla, from where doctors have referred Riyaz Ahmed to SK Institute of Medical Science in Srinagar.
Meanwhile, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani at a press conference held at his residence here not only rejected the Home Minister P . Chidambaram’s dialogue offer but also issued a protest calendar, not different from the other calendars which was issued in the past by Masrat Alam. The calendar is going to pose a major security challenge before the law and order agencies of the government in the coming week.
“The government of India is adept in the art of showing sky and at the same time snatching ground from your feet,” said Geelani, in reference to Chidambaram’s statement made in the Parliament on Friday.
“The dialogue was only possible if India accepts Kashmir as a disputed territory and starts a process of withdrawal of occupational forces. There was no need to feel happy about what the Home Minister stated (in Parliament),” said Geelani.
Geelani said “there would be no compromise on the geographical unity of the state, the decision about the future would be taken in accordance with the wishes of majority of the state”.
Geelani, asked people to observe shutdowns and protests for five days in the next week and observe August 15 as “black day”.
Calendar indicates major challenge for the authorities, as call of marches towards Pampore on August 11, Pather Majid and Barzulla on August 13. No strike call has been issued on 14 August.
Meanwhile, Kashmiri students and professionals living in Delhi Saturday took out a rally here to protest the human rights violations back home.
Scores of people have assembled at Indian capital’s Jantar Mantar to protest against the killings of youth in the police and paramilitary forces action in the Kashmir since June 11.
The protesters shout ‘pro-freedom’ slogans and hold placards reading ‘stop killing innocent Kashmiris.