Protests subside, but state still on guard

SRINAGAR: Barring a few instances of clashes between police and agitated protesters at a few places, a tense Kashmir remained peaceful under curfew. Army was called in to stage a flag march in north Kashmir’s Baramulla town and manage a small stretch in Anantnag as well.

Soon after chief minister Omar Abdullah’s announcement that imposing curfew was the only option, police and paramilitary forces were deployed in most parts of the capital, as reinforcements were rushed to Sopore, Baramulla and south Kashmir.

Right now, the twin north Kashmir towns of Sopore and Baramulla besides Anantnag, Bejbehara and Pulwama in south Kashmir are under curfew along with most of the capital.

There were a series of protest in and around Anantnag, which forced the authorities to stop the first batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims near Udhampur for a short while. VHP leader Rama Kant Dubay has termed the tense situation as a “ploy” by anti-nationals to disrupt the yatra. He sees no reasons for the people for coming to streets.

“Every year separatists and their over ground workers work in tandem with mainstream political parties to create situation of unrest and violence to disrupt Amarnath yatra and create a fear of psychosis among pilgrims,” he was quoted saying.

But Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said the protests are not linked with the pilgrimage. “Our protests are against the human rights violations and increased killing of youths in Kashmir. Protests are not aimed at anyone,” the cleric was quoted saying on phone from his Nigeen mansion. “We want the yatra to pass off successfully.”

Authorities have already banned the SMS services of all the operators in Jammu and Kashmir. Police have also seized newspapers from entering into south and north Kashmir.