Srinagar, July 21: The stench of a cow carcass has added to the woes of the besieged Nawa Kadal where the residents have been compelled to stay indoors by police, paramilitary troopers and concertina wires.
 The locals said the cow died Friday in firing in the area when people took to streets against the killing of two youth in Noor Bagh area. The rising temperature seems to have led to decay of the cow carcass, fast.
 It came our way while zooming past the Nallah Mar to visit the bereaved families of the Noor Bagh youth. It took just a few seconds for GK lenseman Aman Farooq to stop the car and zoom out his camera. But the span of two clicks was enough to make the other colleague, Arif Shafi Wani, vomit.
 “How have been the people managing to stay in such a stench?” Arif shouted but I didn’t respond. Luckily I could keep my nose shut to hold my breath longer than him. The Srinagar Municipal Corporation Health Officer Dr Reyaz Ahmed said the sanitation operations in Shahr-e-Khaas had been suspended due to "curfew like situation." "But we'll lift it (carcass) tomorrow," he added.
 The street ahead was deserted expect for the CRPF and police men who came our way after every few hundred yards only to stop us and remark: It’s Curfew, where are you going?
 Every time, we had to plead moving ahead by revealing our I-cards. The cards worked for us.
 But as for the rest, it was time to stay indoors.
 “Oye Kahan Jaana Hai. Wapas Under Bhago. Idhar Curfew Hai,” shouted a CRPF trooper on a woman at Noor Bagh Chowk who was trying to come out from a lane near JK Bank branch. Two kids accompanying her mustered courage and replied: “Oye Kya Bolta Hai?”
 “Angraizai Bolta hun,” the trooper responded making the trio return to the sieged lane.
 Again because of the press cards, we managed meeting the bereaved living deep inside the by-lanes.
 But on coming back on the Nallah Mar, we were on a deserted street. A man was seen running on the road only to get a blow from the men in uniform who ever came his way near the Chowk.
 He was in a hurry to reach somewhere and didn’t speak to anyone but kept running, perspiring profusely.
 On way back to Press Enclave we again saw the cow carcass on the Nallah Mar. We tried to visit the locality but the troops didn’t allow us lift the concertina wires for an entry.
 Fear was visible on the street while stench too was inevitable especially for these Shahr-e-Khaas residents confined to indoors at the houses, with broken windowpanes allegedly smashed by the men-in-uniform.
 This was Shahr-e-Kaas on the longest day.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:00:00 IST