Srinagar: Separatist-called protest shutdown and restrictions in the aftermath of Udhampur truck attack victim’s death affected normal life across the Kashmir Valley on Monday.
Separatist leaders including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Muhammad Yasin Malik and others have called for a Valley-wide shutdown against the Udhampur truck attack in which a youth, Zahid Rasool Bhat, succumbed to serious burn injuries on Sunday.
Miscreants had attacked a Valley-bound parked truck on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in Udhampur on October 9 with a petrol bomb.
Two people — Zahid Rasool Bhat and Showkat Ahmad Dar — had sustained serious burn injuries and were being treated in Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital where Zahid succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.
Authorities on Monday placed senior separatist leaders including Syed Ali Geelani, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Javaid Mir, Muhammad Nayeen Khan and others under house arrest in Srinagar, except Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, who is presently in Delhi.
“Preventive restrictions have been imposed in some parts of Srinagar city. These include areas falling under police stations of Khanyar, Nowhatta, Rai nawari, M.R. Gunj, Safa Kadal and Maisuma. Restrictions have also been imposed in Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, Sopore and Baramulla towns,” a senior police officer told IANS in Srinagar.
All shops, educational institutions, public transport and other businesses remained closed in Srinagar city and most of the major cities and towns in the Kashmir Valley.
Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers in full riot gear were deployed in strength sensitive places in Srinagar and other district headquarters of the Valley.
All university and school board exams scheduled for Monday have been postponed.
The first convocation of Islamic University of Science and Technology has also been postponed.
Reports from Batangoo village, where the youth was buried on Sunday, said that restrictions have been imposed in the village.
The body was brought back from Delhi on Sunday evening.
The traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar highway remained suspended for the second day on Monday as youth pelting stones on passing vehicles continued to camp on the highway in Anantnag district.