KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Authorities have imposed strict restrictions in most of the Srinagar city to prevent escalation of tensions after a fresh killing in New Theed area Friday night. Lal Chowk and most of the uptown areas are witnessing least movement of people and the vehicular traffic.
Decision to impose strict restrictions was taken late last night when the pellet-devastated dead body of a boy was recovered from New Theed. This had instantly triggered a chain reaction in the Nishat-Shalimar-Hazratbal belt with various localities using the mike-fitted mosques to convey the concern. Public announcements were heard in certain uptown localities as well.
This was precisely the reason for a huge gathering assembling in the New Theed – Harwan belt on Saturday morning despite a strict curfew in place. A senior police officer said the reports about the size of the gathering are quite huge, “but I will go by 15000 and I mean the people who offered the funeral prayers.” He said that the police used tear smoke shells on the subsequent groups which resorted to stone-pelting at various places in the area.
People at the funeral gathering shouted slogans against India and for freedom.
But to prevent a cascading impact on Srinagar, authorities are imposing curfew restrictions sternly. At various road junctions, drop-gates have re-emerged and the cops manning them are sending people back home. In old city, the cops are not permitting people to come out of the lanes.
Reports from the belt said that cops have fired at least eight rounds in air to disperse the post-funeral-prayers gatherings.
