Srinagar, July 28: Life here and elsewhere in the Kashmir Valley was paralyzed Saturday by a shutdown called by Hurriyat (G) Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and High Court Bar Association (HCBA) against the killing of Hilal Ahmad Dar of Bandipora in north Kashmir by Army on Tuesday.
Senior separatist leaders continued to remain under house arrest for third consecutive day Saturday, police said the step has been taken to maintain law and order.
Hilal had left the village mosque after the Ramadan evening prayers when he was killed by the soldiers of 27 Rashtriya Rifles.
Shops, business establishments, schools, colleges and universities remained closed while public transport was off the roads. Attendance in government offices and banks was thin due to non-availability of public transport.
The authorities deployed heavy contingents of police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on roads in Srinagar and other major towns of the Valley to thwart any protest demonstration against the killing of Hilal Ahmad Dar.
In Srinagar, police and CRPF men were deployed in every nook and corner to thwart any protest demonstration. The police and CRPF had laid razor wires at some road junctions. Armored vehicles were also seen at some road junctions in old Srinagar.
Life also remained crippled in Baramulla, Kupwara, Sopore, Handwara and Bandipora towns of north Kashmir due to the strike. But thin public transport plied on inter-district roads in north Kashmir.
Islamabad (Anantnag) town of south Kashmir was also affected due to strike as shops, schools and business institutions remained closed. Thin traffic was witnessed on roads. The strike was also observed in Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian districts of south Kashmir.
Chairmen of both factions of Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other senior separatist leaders including Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Zaffar Akbar Bhat and Bilal Gani Lone have been placed under house arrest to prevent them from leading protests against the killing of Hilal Ahmad Dar.
The house arrest of separatists continues since Thursday evening following a call for protests. “They have been put under house arrest only to maintain law and order,” a senior police said in Srinagar.
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association has thanked the people for observing the strike. It said work remained suspended in all the courts throughout the Valley.
“The people of J&K have demonstrated solidarity with the members of the bereaved family as a nation. By observing the strike, the people of J&K have once again conveyed their displeasure and strong reaction against the State repression. The Bar Association feels that the people of J&K are united in the path of freedom struggle and no motivation or State repression can derail the people of J&K from the basic struggle. In this backdrop Bar Association calls upon the separatist leadership to ensure unity to respect the people’s aspirations and lead from a common and united political platform,” Bar General Secretary G N Shaheen said in a statement.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 29 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST