Kashmir braces for Eid amid unrest
Kashmir braced for Eid-ul-Adha amid tension on Tuesday, with the government suspending Internet and mobile services, sealing several traditional prayer venues and stepping up security deployment, even as separatist leaders appealed to people to hold prayers simultaneously across the Valley to mark the festival.
According to officials, authorities are concerned about the possibility of mass protests after Eid prayers across the Valley, and have initiated unprecedented security measures. Curfew has been imposed in all 10 districts of the Valley. According to sources, the police, CRPF and the Army have mobilised extra forces to ensure no Eid congregation turns into a pro-freedom rally. There are also indications that the government could impose Section 144, which bars large gatherings.
According to an Army officer in the headquarters, three battalions have been deployed in interior areas of south Kashmir. These are the areas from where Army had withdrawn several years ago.
Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said on Monday that the situation in the Kashmir Valley was improving gradually.
A senior Home Ministry official also said the Eidgah march planned by the separatists would not be allowed, but the final decision would have to be taken by the local administration. Former Chief Minister and National Conference working president, Omar Abdullah, tweeted: “I won’t have internet connection after 4 p.m. Have a blessed Eid.”
On Eid eve, 1,300 held in Valley
A fresh gunfight erupted at the Poonch encounter site in the Pir Panjal Valley on Monday morning.
A day after three suspected militants of the Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in a house and in an under-construction mini-secretariat, a holed-up militant opened fire at the forces on Monday. The exchange of fire continued for several hours. A police spokesman said one more militant was suspected dead in the encounter.
In the Valley, ahead of Eid, all separatist leaders either remained under house arrest or were detained in jails.
Around 1,300 known protesters and separatists have been rounded up from Srinagar, north and south Kashmir. Several prayer venues in Srinagar, Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama and Anantnag have been sealed, according to local people.
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