Curfew and protest shutdown continued in Kashmir on Thursday for the 27th consecutive day. Over 100 protesters were injured on Wednesday in Adijan area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district when their rally was intercepted by the forces. Reports said central reserve police force (CRPF) troopers torched over two dozen motorcycles and other vehicles that participated in the protest rally.
Protest rallies and marches also took place at Koil, Bijbehara and some other places in south Kashmir where the security forces did not intervene. Protesters marched with the body of a youth working as an ATM guard in Srinagar.
The guard had died under mysterious circumstances, but the autopsy report stated that he was shot with a pellet gun from point blank range. Authorities decided to impose curfew and restrictions under section 144 CrPc (Criminal Procedure Code) in south Kashmir districts of Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama, Anantnag and parts of Srinagar city.
Night traffic resumed on the Jammu-Srinagar highway after remaining closed due to protests in Kashmir, officials said on Thursday. Randeep Kumar, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ramban told reporters that the traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar highway was restored and vehicular traffic was moving smoothly. For the last 28 days, authorities allowed traffic on the strategic highway only during the night.
60 civilians and two policemen were killed in the present unrest in the Valley following the killing of Hizbul commander, Burhan Wani in a gunfight on July 8.
