Srinagar freezes under curfew

With massive iron barricades, thousands of policemen and a strict curfew, Srinagar becomes a gated city

Srinagar has been turned into a gated city today with dozens of massive iron barricades, spools of barbed wire and thousands of paramilitary and policemen encircling neighbourhoods and blocking roads to impose the curfew and halt the 8220;Azadi8221; procession and a public sit-in at city centre Lal Chowk.

The government had put the entire Kashmir valley under strict curfew, laid an unprecedented security cordon and even blocked the Srinagar-Jammu national highway. In fact, the multi-coloured curfew passes 8211; issued to select groups like doctors, paramedics, journalists and employees of essential services yesterday 8211; were withdrawn this morning thus making sure that the curfew is absolute.

Lal Chowk and especially the clock tower have become a symbol of the latest wave of separatist protests in Kashmir and the official response too suggests that the government has made it a point of prestige to prevent an 8220;Azadi8221; rally in this historic city centre of Srinagar.

The government had specially requisitioned dozens of iron barricades for today8217;s operation. A senior police officer said that they have erected 30 such barricades across Srinagar city. In fact, several bridges over river Jhelum had been blocked with double iron barricades and barbed wire. Then there were blockades erected over most of the lanes leading to colonies and neighbourhoods across the city. The deployment of the paramilitary and policemen too was unprecedented. There were around 300 police and CRPF men standing in the narrow lane inside Maisuma neighborhood which had been sealed off from every side by massive iron blockades and barbed wire. Home to JKLF Chief Yasin Malik, Maisuma is neighbouring Lal Chowk and the police apprehended strife. 8220;We have orders to shoot at anybody who tries to violate the curfew restrictions,8221; Inspector Raghubir Singh of CRPF told The Indian Express. 8220;It has worked. The people spent the entire day inside their homes. It is all peaceful.8221; He said that they were ordered not to entertain any curfew passes as they were cancelled by the government.

A few hundred yards ahead, the small Gowkadal bridge connecting Maisuma with downtown city had two barricades large iron barricades covered with barbed wire spools. Hundreds of CRPF men were standing along the Chunti koal stream. An elderly woman was pleading with the soldiers to allow them to take her ailing daughter to the neighbouring medic. At Babademb, the police had erected tin sheets to block the main road leading to downtown city. Half a mile ahead, the other road leading to Khanyar too was covered with spools of barbed wire with a dozen soldiers standing guard. The Lal Chowk, meanwhile, was filled with uniformed men, who had literally laid a siege around it.

The police and CRPF men refused to entertain the curfew passes issued by the government yesterday. 8220;There were apprehensions that people will assemble using fake curfew passes so we were asked to discourage every civilian movement irrespective whether there is a curfew pass or not,8221; a police officer said.

After the government halted the separatist plans to hold a public rally at Lal Chowk today, J-K Chief Secretary S S Kapoor came on Doordarshan to explain the reasons for the strict restrictions placed by the government today. 8220;We know that the people have faced problems because of the restrictions but we were forced to impose curfew in larger public interest. We wanted to prevent violence8221;, Kapoor said.

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The separatists, however, reacted sharply. Senior Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani 8211; who is hospitalized 8211; condemned the curfew and other stringent measures by the government to block the Lal Chowk march today. 8220;We were trying to project our demands through democratic way but it appears that there is little room for such democratic means8221;, he said. 8220;The use of force against people and arresting and filling police stations with youth is draconian.8221; Geelani, however, asked the people to resume normal life tomorrow. 8220;The next date for the Lal Chowk march will be decided in the Coordination committee meeting,8221; he said.

Top National Conference leader and former minister, Ali Mohammad Sagar said that the unprecedented security measures have only made the common public suffer. 8220;It shows how much insecure the government feels by the Lal Chowk march8221;, he said. 8220;Both government and the Hurriyat should avoid making Lal Chowk march a point of prestige because it will only create more trouble8221;.

Communist leader M Y Tarigami termed the curfew as unfortunate. 8220;The government should deal the problem politically and try its best to engage the separatist groups in dialogue,8221; he said. 8220;The frequent strikes and consequent curfew restrictions only bring miseries to the common people8221;.