Kulgam encounter: Restriction imposed in parts of Srinagar

Srinagar: Authorities today imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar — the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir — and in Kulgam district as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order in view of a strike called by separatists to protest the killing of four civilians near an encounter site yesterday.

Restrictions have been imposed in Kulgam district of south Kashmir and parts of Srinagar, a police official said. He said curbs have been imposed in five police station areas of the city here which include Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, Safakadal and Maharajgunj.

The restrictions have been imposed as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order, the official said. Four civilians were killed in clashes with security forces near the encounter site in Khudwani area of Kulgam yesterday. The militants managed to escape from the site and the operation was called off.

Separatists, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), have called for a strike today to protest the civilian killings. The JRL, which comprises Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, also asked people across the Valley to stage protests in the afternoon and observe a blackout in the evening.

The strike affected normal life elsewhere in the Valley as most of the shops and other business establishments were shut, while public transport was off the roads, officials said. Authorities also ordered the closure of schools and colleges in most parts of the Valley to thwart student protests, the officials said.

The Kashmir University and the Islamic University of Science and Technology have suspended class works for today and postponed all the examinations scheduled for the day as well. Mobile Internet services remained suspended in south Kashmir areas, while the network speed has been reduced in Srinagar, the officials said.