By Sheikh Imran Bashir, Agence India Press
Srinagar: Curfew continued in Srinagar and many other major towns of the Kashmir Valley for the second consecutive day on Thursday. “The situation is under control even though late in the evening there were some protests mostly in Masjids in some localities,” police said.
In Bemina and Tengpora area police used tear smoke to disperse protesters.
Srinagar city is under lockdown Thursday as thousands of soldiers patrolled the streets to enforce a rigid curfew aimed at ending weeks of violent anti-government protests.
According to Agence India Press reports, all shops and schools were closed, streets ringed with barbed wire and roadblocks were deserted, the region’s nearly 60 newspapers were unable to publish and even residents with special curfew passes were barred from going outside.
Indian Army doing flag march in Srinagar on Thursday. [AIP Photo]
Even with the curfew in force, hundreds of doctors and other employees of the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) staged a protest against the recent killings in the Valley here on Thursday.
Doctors assembled in SKIMS compound and staged a sit-in. They were demanding stern action against the erring paramilitary CRPF troopers and policemen involved in the recent killings and end to human rights violations. Police and paramilitary troops later dispersed them, police said.
On Wednesday night, thousands of protesters defied the restrictions for a few hours and held street protests. Pro-independence songs rang out overnight from the public address systems of several mosques.
Sopore town and old parts of Baramulla were placed under curfew as a precautionary measure, official sources said.
Curfew was also being enforced strictly in Srinagar, where three persons were killed in alleged firing by security forces on Tuesday.
As authorities canceling curfew passes given to journalists, nearly 60 newspapers published from Srinagar hit the stands Thursday. Many reporters spent the night in their offices.
Meanwhile The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has suspended six police officers blamed for the death of three youths in firing in Anantnag district, south of the Kashmir.
“The officers shall remain suspended until the inquiry against them is over,” a national news channel reported on Thursday.