Strike, curfew in parts of south Kashmir cripple normal life
Srinagar, May 16: Normal life was on Thursday crippled due to curfew and spontaneous strike in parts of south Kashmir against the killing of three militants and a civilian in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama.
Three Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militants, including a top commander, a civilian and a soldier were killed in the encounter in south Kashmir district of Pulwama early today.
Official sources said that curfew has been imposed in Pulwama town to maintain law and order following intense clashes between security forces and protestors, who hit the streets after the killing of the militants and the civilian. “Security forces have been deployed in strength in sensitive areas in entire south Kashmir, particularly in Shopian and Pulwama, for security reasons,” they said.
Spontaneous shutdown was observed in Shopian, where shopkeepers downed shutters and traffic went off the roads as the news of the death of militants spread in the district. One of the slain militants was a resident of Shopian.
Meanwhile, mobile internet services in the twin south Kashmir districts of Pulwama and Shopian have also been suspended to prevent spreading of rumours.
Hundreds of police and security force personnel, wearing bullet proof jackets and holding automatic weapons, were seen patrolling Pulwama town to strictly implement the curfew. Shops and business establishments were closed and traffic was off the roads in restriction free areas in Pulwama.