- Shutdown, Clashes continues for 121th days
- Future of Ongoing Resistance being decided on Tuesday
- Shoppers throng Sunday market; traffic jams in city centre
- Protests in Rainawari; bid to torch schools at Zakura, Hajin
- Slain teenager’s family protests at Press Enclave
- Evening clashes in old Srinagar; no untoward incident today: Police
Even as the uneasy calm prevailed in Kashmir on the 121st day of the ongoing uprising, Sunday Market here witnessed huge rush of shoppers while the private vehicular traffic was thick on the streets since early morning.
There was no untoward incident anywhere in Kashmir except a protest march staged by the women against police diktat of summoning a woman protester to police station at Rainawari in old Srinagar.
Witnesses said there was huge public movement on the streets of Srinagar since morning while the vendors had set their stalls at the Sunday Market (a weekly business activity in Srinagar) right from Zero Bridge to Amira Kadal, which was flooded by the shoppers during the day.
As the day progressed, city centre witnessed huge rush of private vehicles leading to traffic jams at various points. Vendors at the Sunday Market said that they had good business today. “After July 8, today was the first Sunday, we did good business,” said Shakeel Ahmed, a vendor. “Shoppers purchased blankets and warm clothes.”
The travellers complained of traffic jams at Zero Bridge, Clock Tower, Amira Kadal, Moulana Azad Road in Srinagar. Many uptown markets had opened despite strike call by the joint resistance leadership that included Sanatnagar, Pandrethan and Athwajan.
Reports from various district headquarters said the shops were opened while the shoppers thronged the markets to buy essentials. The rush increased after 4 pm on the relaxation call given by the joint resistance leadership.
Reports from Rainwari area of old Srinagar said that women at Mian Shah Sahib locality staged protests against the alleged highhandedness of the police.
According to locals, police raided the house of one Muzaffar Ahmed Qasba to arrest his wife for “being part of frequent protests.”
They said the police took her husband to the police station and asked him to ensure presence of his wife in the police station.
The police diktat triggered anger among the residents with women hitting the streets against the police.
Slain teenager’s family stages protest:
The family members of slain teenager Qaiser Sofi, 16, staged a protest at press enclave here and demanded action against the guilty.
The family members alleged that their child was poisoned and assaulted by the forces on October 27 at Shalimar. “We reject police claims that our child was sick and had consumed poison. He had visible torture marks on his body and was poisoned which caused his death,” said his family members.
They said doctors at the SKIMS, Soura have confirmed that Qaiser died of poisoning and assault. “We demand a thorough probe into the incident and action against the guilty,” they said.
Bid To Set School Afire Foiled
Meanwhile, unknown persons made a failed attempt to set ablaze a Government Higher Secondary School at Zakura on Srinagar outskirts. In another incident reports from north Kashmir’s Bandipora district said unknown persons tried to set ablaze Government Higher Secondary School Hajin. However, due to the timely intervention by locals and police, the fire was doused. Witnesses said, the laboratory room of the school suffered partial damage in the fire.
A Police spokesman said that situation across Kashmir remained peaceful and under control.
“During the day, normal movement of people and vehicular traffic was seen on the city roads as was also in other parts of the valley.
“The famous Srinagar Sunday market opened early in morning and huge number of shoppers thronged it for purchasing different articles,” the statement said.
Last evening, “miscreants” attempted to set on fire Government Boys Higher Secondary School at Zakoora in Srinagar, the statement said.
“Fire tenders and police immediately rushed to the spot and brought fire under control and prevented any major damage to the school.
“However, the furniture of the school was partially damaged in the incident.
“Srinagar police has taken cognizance of the matter and miscreants involved in the incident are being identified.” Adequate deployment was made on some vulnerable points in the valley, police said.
Meanwhile, top three separatist leaders who met for the first time in last more than four month on Sunday said they will chalk out future course of action regarding the present people’s resistance on Tuesday. The decision will be taken after they have a joint meeting with all stake holders.
“All the forums among whom traders, educationists, transporters, civil society members, religious, social and political organizations, bar association and people from other walks of life have been called on Tuesday, 8th November 2016 at 10:30 am at Hyderpora to jointly deliberate and discuss future course of action,” the statement issued by the three leaders said.
The joint leadership including the two Hurriyat’s led by Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq, and JKLF’s Muhammad Yasin Malik have said that the struggle of Kashmiris is not for any economic benefit or packages but for determining the future of millions of Kashmiris.
“So-called rulers are pushing Kashmiri youth to the wall by persistently and continuously chocking them,” the three leaders said in a joint statement after the meeting. “It was asserted that the struggle for freedom is not meant for any economic gains or packages but for the determination of future of millions of humans living in Jammu Kashmir.”
The statement said that various issues regarding the struggle and current resistance was discussed threadbare during the meeting. Leaders unanimously rejected the statement of the Indian Prime Minister, wherein he has said that “development is the corner stone of Kashmir solution”.
Strongly condemning the recent syllabus relaxation by BOSE, the leaders, according to the statement said, that this is ridiculous and a laughing stock on part of the government and this bumper sale will tell upon the educational standards and individual potential of the students and such shameful acts can only be termed as intellectual bankruptcy of the ‘so-called’ educationists. They said it is aimed at confusing students and playing dirty politics with the future and carrier of our budding youth.
The three leaders who are jointly spearheading the now-more-than-a-month unrest said that the way India and its stooges are hell bent upon squeezing and denying the political space for the pro-freedom voices and ruining the lives of youth by harassing, hunting and maiming them is evident that they are deliberately and willfully pushing them to the path of violence so that they have reasons to crush them under their iron heels.
The statement said that the meeting discussed killing of 100 persons in last 120 days as more than 20000 are injured. The meeting also stated that many hundred people have lost their eye sights, thousands were arrested and booked under PSA as property worth millions was destroyed and vandalized by government forces.
“We will surely safeguard the sacrifices at any cost,” the statement issued to local news-gatherer KNS said.
Terming the burning of schools as “a grave phenomenon” and “satanic acts”, the three leaders accused the rulers for “perpetuating” the ploy to “defame ongoing struggle.”
They said that present uprising representing the aspiration of common people has unnerved the henchmen and they have let loose the all the tools in their armory to crush it in its ruthless manner and have not given credence to the unparalleled and unmatched sufferings of the people, there is an urge to take all the stake holders into confidence for taking the ongoing movement forward.
