Valley shuts in protest against ‘custodial killing’
Srinagar: Normal life in Kashmir was affected Wednesday due to a strike called by separatists to protest against the custodial death of a youth.
Schools, colleges and universities remained closed due to the strike called by the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), an amalgam of separatist groups, to protest against the death of Rizwan Pandit in police custody on the intervening night of March 18 and 19, officials said.
Shops and other business establishments also remained closed while public transport remained off the roads but a few private vehicles could be seen plying on the city roads, they said.
The call for shutdown evoked a good response across the Valley, with Srinagar’s city center Lal Chowk wearing a grim look as all shops and business establishments remained closed while traffic was off the roads. Private traffic, however, plied normally.
In Old city areas, heavy deployment of forces was made but curfew was not imposed, an official said. The forces also imposed restrictions in various locations to thwart any attempts to stage protests by angry residents.
The shutdown call evoked a good response in Bandipora, Kupwara and Baramulla districts in northern Kashmir, and Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag districts in southern Kashmir where heavy deployment of forces was made to thwart protests by youth.
In Awantipora, mourners continued to make a beeline at the house of victim Rizwan Asadh Pandit for the second consecutive day Wednesday.
Pertinently, train services were also suspended in Kashmir as a “precautionary measure”.
The state administration has ordered a magisterial probe into Pandit’s death while police have ordered a separate inquiry into the killing.
KV Correspondent
