Srinagar, Feb 9: Life in the Kashmir, including summer capital, Srinagar, was on Saturday crippled due to general strike called by separatists on the sixth death anniversary Afzal Guru, who was hanged in Delhi’s Tihar jail on this day in 2013.
Business and other activities were paralysed and traffic was off the roads in major towns and tehsil headquarters in the Kashmir valley, where authorities have imposed restrictions in the downtown Srinagar and parts of civil lines and old city today.
Shops and business establishments were closed and transport was off the roads in Srinagar.
There was no traffic movement in historic Lal Chowk, which has been closed since early this morning.
Business activities remained paralysed in main business hubs of Hari Singh High Street (HSHS), Batmaloo, Dalgate, Regal Chowk, Moulana Azad road, Residency road and Mahraj Bazar.
Large number of security forces have been deployed in the city to prevent any untoward incident.
Work in government offices was affected and tuition and coaching centres also remained closed.
In order to maintain law and order and foil possible anti-government protests, authorities have imposed strong restrictions in some parts of Sopore town the government forces have also sealed entry points towards Afzal Guru’s home village Jageer ghat, reports claimed.
Meanwhile, Authorities have suspended the Baramulla – Banihal train service for the day, as per the precautionary measures.
Pertinently, ahead of Guru’s anniversary, authorities had placed Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house detention at his Nigeen residence while Geelani also continued to remain under house detention at his office-cum-residence at Hyderpora.
Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq on Saturday said Kashmir remembers Mohammad Afzal Guru on his hanging anniversary to remind world that ‘he was hanged in secrecy in Tihar jail against all norms of justice and humanity to satisfy the collective conscience of a state’.
Taking to micro blogging social networking site twitter Mirwaiz wrote, “_#Kashmir today remembers and pays rich tributes to #ShaheedAfzalGuru on his 6th martyrdom anniversary. Hanged and buried in secrecy in #TiharJail against all norms of justice and humanity to “satisfy the collective conscience of a state.”
Nonetheless, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik also remained under police custody who was detained while leading a protest against ‘plight’ of inmates on Wednesday from JKLF’s Abi Guzar office.
Meanwhile, train services remained suspended for the third day on Saturday in Kashmir in view of strike call today.
The train service remained suspended from Thursday due to heavy snowfall.
Officials said that the train service was suspended today as ‘a precautionary measure’.
