With the curfew in the Valley dragging into its 13th day on Thursday, life in Jammu and Kashmir continued to be in a state of paralysis even though incidents of violence between locals and the security forces show no sign of cooling down and the death toll of civilians continues to rise.
Meanwhile, Kashmir newspapers are expected to hit the stands today after the government on Wednesday “apologized” for media curbs and assured Srinagar-based editors that their work won’t be hindered by the heightened security in the wake of unrest that has left over 48 people dead and thousands injured in the Kashmir Valley.
The government had put curbs on the media on Saturday and lifted the ban on Tuesday, saying the decision taken at some “local” level was a “mistake”.
With Pakistan observing `Black Day` on Wednesday over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, security was stepped up and more police and paramilitary soldiers were deployed across all towns and villages, including Srinagar to maintain law and order.
So far, at least 48 people have been killed in clashes with security forces and around 3000 remain injured. Cellphone services and mobile internet remains blocked.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the violent situation in the Valley spiralling out of control day-by-day, Army Chief General Dalbir Singh visited Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of the situation.
On behalf of the Indian Army, Singh expressed regret over the death of civilians in Qazigund and ordered a probe in the matter.
Expressing grief over the loss of life and injuries sustained by the protesters, the Army appealed to the people of the Valley to maintain peace and refrain from attacking security forces or their vehicles or establishments, thus creating situations where they are left with no option but to retaliate in self defence.
