Barring stray incidents of stone-pelting, situation 'comfortable' in all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir, say officials

Jammu: Barring stray incidents of stone-pelting, the situation was “comfortable” in all the three regions of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday. Security forces had arrested over 100 people , including political leaders and activists, as they were considered a threat to peace and tranquillity in the Kashmir valley, they added. The arrests came hours after the Centre announced abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and proposed bifurcation of the state into two Union territories  Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. There is a communication shutdown and certain other restrictions in the valley. Follow Kashmir news LIVE updates here Some shops had opened in Srinagar and the movement of people on the roads had picked up despite the restrictions, a senior official of the state administration said, adding that the “situation is comfortable now”. [caption id=“attachment_6714531” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Stating that there were “very few incidents of stone-pelting”, he said people were moving on two-wheelers and cars as well. The official said the authorities were extending assistance to those who had a marriage in the family. Several video clips from Kashmir have gone viral on social media platforms showing people opening shops, walking, driving motorcycles and cars on the roads of Srinagar. One clip showed people purportedly from the border district of Kupwara saying they wanted peace and were happy at the decision of the government to abrogate the provisions of Article 370 in the state as it would remove political corruption. They also said the situation was peaceful in their area. An incident of stone-pelting was reported from Poonch district’s Baflaiz area during protests against the government’s move, resulting in minor injuries to a police officer, officials said. Restrictions are in places in all the districts in the Jammu region, including Jammu city, they said, adding that all educational institutes remained closed across the state. A shutdown was observed in Kargil town in protest against the scrapping of the provisions of Article 370. Ratan Lal Zutshi, a Kulgam resident, said the situation was peaceful and the highway traffic normal as he drove from Srinagar to Jammu. Private taxi drivers were fleecing people, mostly outsiders, by charging them Rs 2,500-3,000 per person to drop them at Jammu, but instead, they were being dropped at the Jawahar tunnel, Zutshi said. National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met Governor Satya Pal Malik at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar on Tuesday night. The governor and the NSA discussed the security situation prevailing in the state as well as outside in the aftermath of the developments in Parliament relating to Jammu and Kashmir. Both of them stressed the need to ensure the safety of the public and emphasised on constant alertness, preparedness and synergy among various departments in order to deal with any unforeseen situation, an official spokesperson said. The governor reviewed the security situation in the state with the Army top brass and officials of the civilian administration on Monday night.