Srinagar youths take to the streets over Gaza bombings

SRINAGAR: Thousands of youths protesting against the Gaza bombings descended on the streets of Srinagar on Monday, forcing a cagey administration to close educational institutions.

Shouting anti-US slogans, they sought an immediate halt to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. People crowded the twin streets of Srinagar before dispersing in smaller groups. Female students, in large numbers, came out on the streets soon after.

“We managed it tactfully without using any force,” a middle-rung police officer said. “Any provocation from either side could have triggered a crisis.”

The Israeli offensive has stirred most commoners in Kashmir. A conflict spot itself, the state has been observing International Quds Day ever since Iran started it in 1979 as a mark of solidarity with Palestine. This year, authorities are likely to clamp a curfew when people observe it on the last Friday of Ramzan, the ongoing month of fasting.

Within hours of the street protests, life in Srinagar ground to a halt, forcing authorities to bring forward the fortnight-long summer holiday break for educational institutions.

“All government and private schools up to higher secondary in Kashmir division shall observe summer vacations with effect from July 15 till July 31,” a spokesman of Director of School Education (Kashmir) said.