Kashmir inching back towards normal life... ahead of Eid fest
Srinagar/ Jammu/ New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry said on Saturday that there had been a few stray protests in the Kashmir Valley in the past few days against the scrapping of special status of Jammu and Kashmir. "There have been a few stray protests in Srinagar/ Baramulla and none of these involved a crowd of more than 20 people," a ministry spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also dismissed a media report about a protest by about 10,000 people in Kashmir as "fabricated and incorrect". The government abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution that accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir and divided the state into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
President Ram Nath Kovind had on Saturday given assent to the legislation on J&K bifurcation and the new UTs will come into existence on October 31.
Meanwhile, prohibitory orders under CrPC section 144 were lifted in five districts and curfew was relaxed in Doda and Kishtwar districts, paving the way for resumption of normal activities that were badly hit after special status of Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated, officials said on Saturday. All schools and colleges reopened in five districts of the Jammu region, besides increase in attendance in government offices, a senior official said.
"All kind of restrictions in these five districts of Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Udhampur and Reasi have been withdrawn and all educational institutes have reopened." He said that the situation is limping back to normalcy. All market places and shops reopened and traffic has resumed as normal in all these districts bringing much relief to the people. Friday prayers passed off peacefully.