The Kashmir valley today observed a shutdown in response to a call given by separatist militants and politicians to protest the 1947 landing of the Army in the region.
Major markets in Srinagar, including Lal Chowk and its adjacent commercial localities, remained closed.
The public transport was also affected by the shutdown as fewer passenger buses and cabs operated in the city and in other districts.
Markets and other business establishments also remained closed in most districts of the Valley. There were reports of protests from several areas, including from some Srinagar localities.
There were no restrictions on the civilian movement in the region today.
The call for shutdown had been given by several separatist militant and political groups, including the conglomerate of militant groups called the United Jehad Council, to protest the landing of the Army in the region 68 years ago.
Separatists leaders have been observing October 27 as a ‘black day’ and the shutdown on this day has become an annual ritual since militancy broke out in the region in 1989.
The Army had landed in Srinagar on October 27, 1947, after Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh signed the instrument of accession and asked India for help to push back armed Pakistani tribesmen. The arrival of troops thwarted an imminent capture of Srinagar city and subsequently escalated into a first war between India and Pakistan, which later ended with a ceasefire.
The Army celebrates October 27 as its Infantry Day in remembrance of the first military operation in post-independence India.
A company of infantry of the first battalion of the Sikh Regiment was airlifted from Delhi to Srinagar on October 27 on the orders of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to stop the marching tribesmen.
