Curfew imposed across entire Valley, stray violence reported

SRINAGAR - Stray incidents of stone-pelting were reported in some parts of the Kashmir Valley Tuesday as indefinite curfew — imposed after 18 people were killed Monday in the worst-ever day of violence in the current spell of unrest — continued and all air services were cancelled for three days.

“No major untoward incident has been reported from anywhere in the Valley today (Tuesday). Miscreants defied curfew in north Kashmir’s Baramulla town and at Zainakote on the outskirts of Srinagar city.”

“One protester was injured when police charged the curfew-defying mob in Baramulla while another protester sustained an injury at Zainakote during police action. Both the injured were admitted to the hospital and their condition is stated to be stable,” a senior police officer said here.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Monday’s violence rose to 18 with deaths of two more protesters - one in south Kashmir’s Anantnag town and the other in north Kashmir’s Sopore town - when frenzied mobs attacked security forces who intervened to prevent them from indulging in arson and violence, police said. These take the total toll since June 11 to 88.

The protests that were triggered initially by a report that the Quran had been desecrated in the US soon snowballed into widespread unrest across the volatile valley.

An indefinite curfew continued Tuesday in the entire Srinagar city and has now been imposed in all other major towns including Badgam, Ganderbal, Anantnag, Bijbehera, Shopian, Sopore, Kupwara and Tangmarg, where a Christian missionary school and government buildings were targeted.

“Last evening, an unruly mob set ablaze the building of a private school at Pulwama. The house, a cowshed and a firewood shed belonging to a police constable were also set on fire at Thandan, Kreeri in Baramulla district.”

“Last evening, a mob took out the belongings and bedding of the police personnel guarding a religious place at K.P. Road in Anantnag town and set them on fire,” a police bulletin added, giving some details of the violence.

“The indefinite curfew shall remain in force till it is reviewed after assessing the situation,” police here said.

Meanwhile, a senior police officer announced that all flights to Kashmir shall remain suspended for three days with effect from Tuesday.

Although he did not give any reasons, it is believed this was done for the safety of passengers who have to travel 25 km from Srinagar city to the air base in south Kashmir’s Pulwama town because the Srinagar international airport is these days closed for runway repairs ahead of winter.

“Mobs are targeting civilian passengers on way to the Awantipora Air Base and also those coming to the city after landing at the air base,” an airport official said here.