Curfew clamped in Pulwama, Baramulla districts of Kashmir

SRINAGAR: Curfew was today clamped in Pulwama and Baramulla districts of Kashmir, while it remained in force in some other areas of the Valley including in parts of Srinagar, in view of the separatists call for a protest march to the three districts.

Normal life also remained disrupted in the Valley for the 73rd straight day.

A police official said that curfew has been imposed in Pulwama and Baramulla districts today, while it remains in force in Shopian and five police station areas of downtown (interior city) along with Batamaloo in uptown Srinagar.

He said the curbs have been imposed to maintain law and order in view of the separatists call for a march to the three districts of Baramulla, Pulwama and Srinagar.

The official said restrictions on the assembly of people continued to remain in force in the rest of the Valley.

The separatists, in the weekly protest programme, have called for a march to the three districts Baramulla (in north Kashmir), Srinagar (in central Kashmir) and Pulwama (in south Kashmir) today.

They have asked the people of north Kashmir districts of Bandipora and Kupwara to march towards Baramulla, people of south Kashmir districts of Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag to march to Pulwama and people of Central Kashmir districts of Ganderbal and Budgam to march towards Srinagar.

Meanwhile, normal life continued to remain paralysed in Kashmir for the 73rd consecutive day due to restrictions and separatist sponsored strike.

The separatists, who are spearheading the current agitation in the Valley, have extended the protest programme till September 22.

Shops, business establishments and petrol pumps continued to remain shut, while public transport was off the roads. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions also continued to remain shut.

Mobile telephony, except the postpaid connections of BSNL, and the mobile Internet services continued to remain snapped across the Valley.

As many as 81 people, including two cops, have been killed in the unrest that broke out a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces in South Kashmir on July 8.