Srinagar, June 25 : Kashmir Valley on Monday observed a complete shutdown against the killings in south Kashmir even as authorities imposed restrictions in a large swathe of Srinagar and south Kashmir. All schools and colleges were also closed along with other education institutions in the Valley.
The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) had called for the Valley-wide shutdown to protests against the unabated civilian killing.
Shops and business establishments remained closed in the entire Valley while public transport was mostly off the roads due to the strike, reports quoting eyewitnesses said.
Also, to thwart the protests, authorities had put parts of Srinagar including Old City and Maisuma under strict restrictions.
Similarly, restrictions were imposed in Kulgam town of south Kashmir to prevent people from staging protests against the killings, official sources said. A police officer told media that the decision was taken to maintain “law and order.”
The JRL comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yasin Malik had called for the shutdown as two more civilians died on Sunday. While one of them was killed in forces’ action on protesters near the site of a gunfight in Kulgam, a youth from Anantnag succumbed at SKIMS Soura.
In a joint statement, the JRL said operation all out was restarted by forces and CASO in South Kashmir villages resulting in harassment of people of all ages and when people resist to forces action they are showered with pellets and bullets with a sole aim of killing them.JRL said that residential houses are being blasted and
The leadership said that they can’t act as mute spectators over the brutal killings of unarmed protesters as since Eid-ul-Fitr four innocent people including the father of two minor siblings were killed by the “trigger-happy forces.” The four civilians killed in forces firing since June 16 include Aijaz Ahmed Bhat of Akhiran, Nowpora, elderly Muhammad Yousuf Rather of Srigufwara, Shahid Nazir of Sirhama who was fired at his head, and the latest Yawar Nazir of Gassipora Qaimoh who was killed on Sunday in “indiscriminate” firing.
