Curfew was on Saturday clamped in Srinagar,Sopore and Kunzar towns in view of protest marches and shutdown called by the separatists across the Kashmir Valley. In the city,curfew was clamped in 34 police station areas including Batmaloo,Bemina,Qamarwari,Nowhatta,Khanyar,Safakadal,Maisuma,Shaheedgunj,Soura,Hazratbal,Kothibagh,Chanapora,Banamohalla,Humhama,Karan Nagar,Lal Bazar,Nigeen,Nishat,Nowgam,Parimpora,Raj Bagh,Rainawari,Ram Munshi Bagh,Sheer Gari,TRC,Zakoora,and Zadibal. Law enforcing agencies have been advised to allow the movement of government employees after showing their identity cards,police said. They said curfew has also been imposed in Sopore and Kunzar towns of Baramulla district as a precautionary measure. The hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani,spearheading the ongoing agitation,has called for a complete shutdown,sit-in protests and march to Tourist Reception Centre ground on Saturday. Geelani,who was to address the gathering,was placed under house arrest on Saturday morning along with the chairman of Moderate Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq. "I have been placed under house arrest this morning as we had planned a religious gathering at Ali Masjid",Mirwaiz said. Shops,educational institutions,banks and private offices remained closed and all modes of transport was off the roads in response to the separatists' call for strike. The Valley was rocked by violence following the death of a teenager on June 11 after he was allegedly hit by a teargas shell near Rajouri Kadal area of old city. After that street protests broke out in the Valley which has claimed 64 lives so far.
