Srinagar, Aug 28: The Government imposed a strict curfew in Srinagar and several other towns on Saturday and thwarted the two separate marches called by the Hurriyat Conference factions led by Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on the 79th day of the ongoing unrest which has seen an almost continuous shutdown across the Valley. Police and para-military CRPF men have killed 64 civilians and injured thousands, mainly youth, by using force on pro-freedom protests during the period.
Geelani had called for a march to Tourist Reception Centre grounds while Mirwaiz had asked people to assemble at Aali Masjid in downtown.
While a curfew was clamped in the entire summer capital, police and CRPF were deployed heavily in and around TRC while the roads leading to the venue were blocked at a number of points by iron barricades and razor wire.
The restrictions were relatively strict in the area and its neighbourhood as people were not allowed to venture out of their homes.
Similar restrictions were seen in downtown of the city. A siege was laid around the Aali Masjid by police and paramilitary. The forces didn’t allow any civilian movement and refused to honour the curfew passes issued by the district administration.
Police kept Geelani under house arrest at his uptown Hyderpora residence. Mirwaiz was placed under house arrest at his Nigeen residence since early morning.
“Mirwaiz was expected to throw light on the importance of Jang-e-Badr (the battle of Badr) and also pay tributes to the Moulvi Yousuf Shah. But he has been placed under house arrest, a Hurriyat spokesman said.
Protest broke out in uptown Gulshanabad locality in Hyderpora where people, mainly young boys, took out a protest procession.
They marched towards Byepass raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans where police intercepted them forcing them to disperse.
Protests also broke out in Habak after the arrest of Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief, Asiya Andrabi there.

KUNZAR TENSE, 6 INJURED IN POLICE ACTION:
For the second day today, protests continued in Kunzer and Tangmarg areas in North Kashmir despite a curfew being in place. Early in the morning authorities made announcement of curfew. People couldn’t offer the Fajr prayers in Masjids due to the curfew.
After the break of dawn, people from several areas of Tangmarg defied curfew and marched towards Kunzar. They protested the highhandedness of army troopers against women and staged demonstrations at Kunzar chowk.
The locals raised the demands of removal of the paramilitary CRPF and army camp of 52 Rashtriya Rifles from the area.
They said that the army troopers Friday evening misbehaved with and beat up women when they barged into residential houses and ransacked them.
DC Varmul and SSP Varmul today visited Kunzar and had a meeting at townhall. The locals put forth their demands before the officials of the removal of the CRPF and army camp from the area.
Minister of Agriculture and MLA Tangmarg, Ghulam Hassan Mir, also visited the area to take stock of the situation.
He, however, had to face public ire. People raised pro-freedom and anti-India slogans on his arrival.
As the protests intensified, CRPF swung into action and used force to disperse protesters, injuring six of them.

KUPWARA:
Government imposed a curfew in this town today after violent clashes between police and protesters in the day.
Hundreds of people took to the streets this morning and staged a massive pro-freedom demonstration in the main town. Forces caned protesters and fired numerous tear smoke canisters to disperse the protesters. However, protesters offered resistance and pelted them with stones.
Police also arrested five youth during the action. Later police vehicles announced that curfew has been imposed in the town.
Locals said it was the CRPF personnel who triggered the trouble, as they resorted to stone pelting on residential houses after the dawn prayers.
“We came out only to protest their highhandedness,” they said.
Police and CRPF, they said, entered Ganie Mohalla, Malik Mohalla, Mir Mohalla, Darzipora, Dudhwahan, and Rigipora and smashed the glass panes of residential houses and vehicles.
At least six youth were injured in police action. “We have received five youth who have received stick injuries, they are under treatment,” said block medical officer Kupwara, Dr Muhammad Ramzan.
In Trehgam, Kralpora, Batpora, Panzgam and Rawathpora towns protests and clashes were reported during the day. Locals said that forces entered into residential houses in Tarathpora and Batpora and broke the glass panes.
Superintendent of Police, Kupwara, V.K Birdhi said that youth resorted to stone pelting on police after which curfew was imposed.
“Police didn’t smash the window panes of any residential house,” he claimed.
In Varmul town, restrictions were imposed on the four bridges, the spotlight of the pro-freedom protests, linking old town with civil line areas. People of the old town were restricted and were not allowed to move to civil line areas.
However, in the evening, protests broke out at Cement Bridge where youths pelted stones on police and CRPF. The forces responded by lobbing tear gas shells. No one was hurt.
Protests broke in Palhalan and Pattan, as protesters poured onto streets in large numbers and blocked Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road.
CRPF swung into action and used force to disperse them. One person was injured in the police action.
Reports of complete shutdown and restrictions poured in from Sopur, Ganderbal and Bandipora.

SOUTH KASHMIR:
Violent clashes erupted in South Kashmir’s Islamabad town on Saturday. Though restrictions were imposed in the town and police and CRPF men were deployed in strength, but youth took to streets at various places in the evening and pelted stones on the police and CRPF men at various places of the old town including Reeshi Bazar, Cheeni Chowk, Malakhnag, Shirpora and Dangerpora. They also attacked the Sherbagh police station with stones.
Police and CRPF men retaliated by lobbing tear gas canisters. A civilian Riyaz Ahmad Ganai of Utersoo, Shangus, who was injured in the clashes was admitted in the district hospital, Islamabad.
Clashes also erupted in several civil line areas of K.P road including Khanabal, Naibasti, Laizbal and Gulshanabad.
Reports of clashes were also received from Bijbehara and Sangam Nainoo. While in Qaimoh and Kulgam youth organized pro-freedom demonstrations and clashed with police amid strict restrictions.
In Shopian town clashes erupted in the evening. Reports of protests and clashes were also received from Pulwama, Kakpora, Pampore, Awantipora and Tral townships.

(With inputs from Altaf Baba, Shahid Rafiq)

Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 29 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST