A week and counting, Kashmir suffers more curfew trouble

Almost a week after parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's hanging, curfew in the Kashmir Valley entered seventh day to prevent post-Friday prayer protests. This will be the first Friday after the parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was hanged on 9 Feb.

Senior separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani, who had earlier called for a march to the Martyrs' graveyard in Eidgah area, has now asked people to to offer funeral prayers in absentia and raise a collective demand for return of Afzal Guru's body to his kin at their local mosque.

In old city areas of summer capital Srinagar, Baramulla, Sopore, Anantnag, Pulwama and Shopian towns uninterrupted curfew entered the seventh day. In other towns and the civilian line areas of Srinagar, city authorities had relaxed curfew restrictions during the last two days but prohibitory orders persist.

‘We have imposed curfew in the Kashmir Valley on Friday to maintain law and order. Tensions are high at many places here,’ a senior police officer told IANS.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had asked separatist leaders not to prolong the shutdown. Omar said he cannot prevent people from identifying with Afzal Guru.‘...This is not a totalitarian state,’ he had said.

More than 40 youths have been taken into custody during the last six days during clashes with the security forces or during night raids at some places. The youths would be released after the Friday prayers as they have been taken into preventive custody.