Published on September 13, 2010
Curfew was clamped in more areas of the Kashmir Valley on Monday in view of incidents of violence in several parts and a protest march called by the separatists in Srinagar.
“Curfew has been imposed in parts of Budgam district stretching from Hyderpora to district headquarter town and three towns of Pulwama district as a precautionary measure,” a police spokesman said on Monday.
Restrictions have been imposed in Awantipora, Lethpora and Pampore towns of Pulwama, which fall on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
Stone pelting incidents took place in these place on Sunday disrupting the movement of traffic on the national highway.
Curfew also remained in force in Srinagar city, Anantnag and Bijbehara towns in south Kashmir and Sopore town in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district for the second day.
For the first time since the three-month old unrest started, authorities did not relax curfew on Sunday night and deployment of security forces continued in curfew-bound areas through the night.
Although curfew was lifted from Baramulla town on Monday morning, severe restrictions on the movement of people have been imposed in the north Kashmir town.
Similar restrictions have been put in place in Pattan, Ganderbal and Kupwara towns of the Valley.
At least 22 people, including 10 policemen, were injured in clashes on Sunday prompting the authorities to extend the ambit of curfew to other towns.
Curfew was imposed in several parts of Valley on Sunday after several government buildings and police properties were torched by irate mobs on Saturday.
Curfew is being strictly implemented in view of the march called by the hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference to the local office of United Nations Military Observers Group (UNMOG) at Sonawar.
Overnight protests continued at many places in the Valley during which a mob set a building on fire.
The building, located at Peerbagh on Srinagar Airport road, was set ablaze late on Sunday night. The unoccupied building was earlier being used by the CRPF.
Meanwhile, protests were held in parts of Kashmir Valley on Monday on rumours about alleged burning of a holy book in the United States.
People poured out on the streets in Budgam district town and Chattergam and Hajin, Sumbal and Ajas area of Bandipora district over the alleged incident, official sources said.
The sources said the protestors raised anti-US and pro-Islamic slogans.
In Tangmarg area of Baramulla district, security forces fired several rounds in the air after a section of protestors set ablaze a school run by a minority institution.
No one was injured in the incident, the sources said.
A police spokesman appealed to the people not to pay heed to the alleged incident of sacrilege, saying the report was just a rumour.