Braid chopping: Life paralysed in Kashmir due to strike

Life came to a grinding halt due to a strike called by separatists against no letup in braid chopping incidents in Kashmir valley, where over 150 such cases have been reported in over a month. Meanwhile, curfew-like restrictions continued for the second day on Saturday as a precautionary measure in the areas falling under the jurisdiction of police station MR Gunj, Nowhatta, Khanyar, Safa Kadal and Rainawari in the Shehar-e-Khas (SeK) and downtown, besides Kralkhud in the old city and Maisuma. Shops and business establishments were closed and traffic was off the road in the restriction free areas in civil lines and uptown Srinagar.

However, some private vehicles besides two-wheelers, could be seen plying on some routes in restriction-free areas. Business and other activities were 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. Interestingly, the shops in highly secured Badami Bagh Cantonment area were also closed in support of the separatists strike call. Additional security forces, wearing bullet proof jackets and holding weapons and lathis in their hands, were seen patrolling the streets in restriction-free areas to prevent any untoward incident in the city and outskirts.

Both the factions of Hurriyat Conference (HC) and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) had called for a strike and civil curfew on Saturday against no letup in braid chopping incidents in the valley. A report from Baramulla said life was crippled in this and other north 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 north Kashmir to prevent any law and order problem. Security forces were seen deployed at Pattan and Palhalan to prevent any stone pelting incident on Srinagar-Uri road.

Life also came to a grinding halt in central Kashmir districts of Budgam and Ganderbal in support of the strike called by separatists. Hundreds of security forces and state police personnel were deployed in major towns and tehsil headquarters to stop protests against braid chopping of the youth, said a report from south Kashmir, where shops and business establishments were closed and traffic was off the roads in support of the strike. Meanwhile, security has been stepped up along the Srinagar-Jammu national highway to prevent any protests.