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SRINAGAR: Curfew continued across the Kashmir valley for the ninth day Monday with the Hurriyat calling for peaceful protests but authorities treading with caution following the deal to set aside 40 hectares of land for the Amarnath shrine board to use during the pilgrimage season.There were no reports of curfew relaxation from anywhere in the valley on Monday, when the joint coordination committee of both the Hurriyat groups, headed by hardline Syed Ali Geelani and the moderate wing chief Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, has called for peaceful protests.
“The curfew restrictions would be relaxed in a phased manner at different places, but only after careful assessment about the law and order situation by the district magistrates concerned,” a state government official said. Though Sunday had started with curfew relaxations across the Valley, authorities said on Monday they were apprehensive that the separatist call might evoke a huge response. On Sunday, curfew had to be reimposed quickly in the entire old city area of Srinagar, Kulgam, Shopian, Anantnag and Kupwara districts as violent protests broke out following the agreement between the Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti and the four-member panel of the state government regarding the 40 hectares of forest land. The agreement, which led to the situation in Jammu cooling down, has been welcomed by the regional National Conference and the Congress parties here. However, the People’s Democratic Party has opposed it saying it was “unilateral and amounted to surrender before communal forces by the administration”. |
Posts Tagged ‘Amarnath Shrine’
Srinagar: Hurriyat calls for peaceful protests; curfew continues
September 1, 2008India detains Kashmir separatists
August 9, 2008| Al Jazeera, August 9, 2008 | |||
Three separatist leaders in Indian state of Kashmir have been placed under house arrest to prevent them from leading a protest by the Muslim community. The leaders have been identified as Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Omer Farooq and Shabir Shah. They represent the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an alliance of separatist groups, and, according to police, they were detained as a preventive measure on Friday. However, on the same day, thousands of Kashmiri Muslims took to the streets to protest. Police said they used tear gas and batons to control the demonstrators and prevent them from marching to a local UN office. Prabhakar Tripathi, a spokesman for Central Reserve Police Force, said at least five paramilitary soldiers were injured. He gave no figures for casualties among the protesters. Shops, businesses, government offices and schools remained closed in protest for a fourth day on Friday in Srinagar. ‘Fomenting trouble’ Anger between Hindus and Muslims in the Himalayan region has been on the rise since June when the Jammu and Kashmir government decided to award 99 acres of land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, a trust that maintains the Amarnath shrine, a revered Hindu site. The shrine contains a large icicle revered by Hindus. The state government was forced to revoke the land transfer last month after a week of often violent protests by Muslims, who said building Hindu settlements in the area would alter the demographics in the state. However, the reversal of the government decision triggered massive streets protests by Hindus in Jammu as well as Samba, a town on its outskirts. Muslims claim they are being targeted in Jammu, the only Hindu-majority city in the state, with Hindu mobs attacking their shops and homes and chanting slogans demanding Muslim Kashmiris leave the area. They claim security forces are not doing enough to protect them. The violence has escalated sharply over the last two weeks and so far six people have been killed in the new clashes. The casualties include a Muslim man killed when a tear gas shell hit him while he was protesting in Srinagar. |
Peace and Justice Post 