Srinagar: Restrictions were imposed by authorities in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir to prevent the resistance leaders’ call for protest and to maintain law and order, police said as reported by IANS.
There are prohibitory orders in place in Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, M.R.Gunj, Safa Kadal and Maisuma where heavy deployments of police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been made.
The post-Friday prayer protests are against “repression”.
The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) has asked the preachers at the mosques to highlight the excesses committed by the forces during their sermons after the Friday prayers.
All higher secondary schools and colleges have been shut to prevent student protests. Classes at the Kashmir University have also been suspended for the day.
This development occurs after the JRL called for a protest-shutdown on Thursday against the “atrocities being inflicted on people including gruesome killings, arbitrary arrests and PSAs, destruction of homes, harassment of students, attack on journalists and all other measures of repression.”
“JRL comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik has expressed deep anguish and grief at the killing of son of the house owner young Rayees Ahmed and two armed youth Mehraj ud Din Bangroo and Faid Mushtaq Waza in Fateh Kadal today morning by the Indian forces, razing down of the house and damaging others around it and the cardiac arrest suffered by the owner of the house due to the forces’ action,” said a statement.
JRL said that state repression against people is increasing with each passing day as it gets manifest in different forms of atrocities being committed. “State machinery is all out to crush people in order to crush their dissent. Communication lines are blocked as internet is suspended frequently, youth and activists are arbitrarily booked under draconian PSA and sent to outside jails,” they said.
“There is no law in the land except the law of state might. Universities and colleges are forcibly closed to disallow students from raising their voice against daily killings and atrocities. Kashmiri Students in outside universities are booked in false cases and harassed. Even news reporters and photographers are not spared and thrashed!” they said.
Earlier today, a gunfight broke out between militants and the armed forces in Fateh Kadal area of Downtown Srinagar.
Reports said a joint team of the state police and the CRPF cordoned off Fateh Kadal after “specific information” about presence of some militants, following which a gunfight started.
Two militants, and a policeman were killed in the gunfight, police said.
ALSO READ: #JournalismIsNotACrime: List of Journalists killed and attacked in Kashmir proves otherwise
An official said that the forces cordoned off the Fateh Kadal area of the city following specific inputs about the presence of militants in a house.
He said the militants opened fire on the forces as they approached the suspected house. “The forces retaliated, triggering a gunfight,” he said, adding that a policeman, identified as Kamal from Reasi died in the initial shootout.
He said two militants and the son of the house owner were killed in the gunfight. “The exchange of fire has stopped but searches are underway,” said the official.
To Lashkar-e-Toiba militant Mehraj ud Din Bangroo was among four killed in the gunfight, Director Inspector General Dilbag Singh told reporters. The other militant was Faid Mushtaq Waza.
