The Kashmir region observed a shutdown for the second consecutive day today to protest the killing of a youth during protests on the city outskirts last night.
The youth’s killing overshadowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of an economic package.
The shutdown affected the public transport services and markets also remained closed in the region for the second day.
The authorities had imposed restrictions in several neighbourhoods of the old city and in Srinagar’s western outskirts, where the youth had died on Saturday evening, to prevent further demonstrations.
The police, in a statement on Saturday night, identified the slain youth as Gowhar Ahmad Dar, a resident of Mustafabad HMT locality on the outskirts of Srinagar. The police said “an unruly mob” threw stones at security forces, which retaliated by firing tear smoke shells.
The police said Gowhar was injured “in this action” and later succumbed. The police regretted the youth’s death and termed the incident as “unfortunate”, saying a magisterial probe has been ordered to investigate the circumstances which led to the death.
The death of the youth, a student at a local engineering college, however, overshadowed the Prime Minister’s visit and the announcement of the economic package.
Many residents expressed anger on social media after the youth’s death. Some dismissed the economic package of Rs 80,000 crore as “old wine in new bottle”.
“There was nothing extraordinary in the package,” said Peer Suhail, director of Center for Research and Development Policy.
“The money has been allotted to the projects which have already started. The money that has been kept for the rehabilitation of flood victims is little as compared to the estimates of the loss given by the previous and current state governments,” he said.
Suhail said the monetary aid had, however, generated a hope among people that it would solve the state’s financial crisis. “This financial package is now a burden on Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s government as the expectation of delivering on the governance and building infrastructure has increased as people now know there is money in the treasury,” he said.
The region’s main opposition parties and moderate separatists have already expressed disappointment over the Prime Minister’s silence on initiating a political roadmap on Kashmir, which Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had expected.
Noor Ahmad Baba, a retired professor of political science, said people wanted to hear about Modi’s political initiative.
“Kashmiris do not only look for economy. That is a part and parcel of our lives. We have had problems and Kashmiris are the victims of a certain political situation, with all its external and internal dimensions, and they want to come out of that situation. That is only possible when a peace process is pursued,” he said.
Valley Shut, Protests rage over youth’s killing
