Normal life crippled in Kashmir due to strike

Srinagar, Mar 5: Normal life was crippled in Kashmir valley due to a day-long strike called by separatists against Shopian incident in which two Lashkher-e-Toiba (LeT) militants and four others were killed in an encounter on Sunday night.
However, curfew-like restrictions have been imposed on Monday in the Shehar-e-Khas (SeK), down town and parts of old city and civil lines in Srinagar as precautionary measure to prevent any law and order problem. Massive clashes have been reported in many areas in Kashmir valley, including Chadoora, Machoowa and Kralpora in Budgam, and Papchan Chowk in Bandipora, on Monday against Shopian killings.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday expressed grief over death of civilians allegedly caught in the crossfire in Shopian.
Shops and business establishments were closed though good number of private vehicles, besides cabs and three-wheelers, could be seen plying on some routes in civil lines and uptown Srinagar.
All educational institutions in the valley, where students in primary schools were supposed to attend their classes for the first time after two-and-a-half-month long winter break, remained closed while rail service has been suspended as a precautionary measure following strike called by separatists.
Business and other activities remained crippled in main business hubs of the city, including historic Lal Chowk, the nerve-centre of summer capital, Budshah Chowk, Regal Chowk, Maisuma, Hari Singh High Street (HSHS), Batmaloo, Moulana Azad Road, Residency Road and Dalgate. Additional security forces, wearing bullet proof jackets and holding weapons and lathis in their hands, were seen patrolling the streets in restriction-free areas in Srinagar to prevent any untoward incident.
Life also came to a grinding halt in central Kashmir districts of Budgam and Ganderbal in support of the strike called by separatists. Meanwhile, youth clashes with security forces at many places in Budgam since this morning.
A report from Anantnag said life was crippled in this and other south Kashmir towns and tehsil headquarters, where shops were closed and traffic was off the road in support of the strike. Additional security forces have been deployed in entire south Kashmir, including Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian, to prevent any law and order problem. Security has also been stepped up along the Srinagar-Jammu national highway to prevent any protests.
Hundreds of security forces and state police personnel were deployed in major towns and tehsil headquarters to stop protests, said a report from north Kashmir, where business and other activities were crippled and traffic was off the roads in support of the strike. Reports of clashes were also coming from Papchan Chowk in Bandipora. UNI