Burhan Wani death anniversary: Normal life disrupted in Kashmir, protesters clash with security forces in Tral

Normal life was disrupted in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, the second death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, as separatists called for a strike, and authorities imposed restrictions in parts of the Valley.

A police officer said restrictions were imposed in the jurisdictions of five police stations in Srinagar — Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, Safakadal and Maharajgunj, all old city areas. He added that the curbs were imposed as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incidents.

Restrictions are also in place in the townships of Pulwama and Tral —  Wani’s hometown  — in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district. However, clashes were reported between protesters and government forces in a village in Tral. According to a report in G_reater Kashmir_ , protesters tried to march towards Wani’s native village to pay their respects, but clashes erupted after security forces stopped them.

The Amarnath pilgrimage from Jammu was also suspended for a day  in view of the separatists’ call for a shutdown to mark Wani’s second death anniversary.

Wani, a resident of Tral and the poster boy of militancy in Kashmir, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag district’s Kokernag area on 8 July, 2016. His killing had triggered massive protests and a prolonged period of curfews and shutdowns across the Valley. Nearly a 100 people were killed in the protests that followed his death, and thousands were injured in daily clashes between security forces and protesters even months later.

Separatist leaders, under the banner of the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), appealed to people to observe a complete shutdown. They also announced that they would hold a general public meeting in Tral on Sunday.

In the wake of the killing of three youth , including a 16-year-old girl, in alleged firing by the army in Kulgam on Saturday, the JRL asked residents to observe Sunday as a black day.

In response to the call for the strike, shops, fuel stations and other business establishments were shut across Srinagar, the police officer said, adding that public transport also stayed off the roads, but a few private vehicles and auto-rickshaws were seen plying. He said there were similar reports of a shutdown from other district headquarters of the Valley.

The strike also affected the weekly flea market in Srinagar.

Mobile internet services were suspended throughout Kashmir as a precautionary measure, while security forces were deployed in strength at sensitive places. Separatists Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq are under house arrest, while Yasin Malik, who was detained from his home on Friday, remains in custody.

With inputs from PTI