Three civilians were killed and as many as 30 injured after clashes were reported in several areas on Kashmir on Tuesday.
Tuesday also happens to be Eid and for the first time in 26 years, no Eid congregations will be held at the Idgah and the Hazratbal shrine in Kashmir. As authorities have imposed a curfew in all the 10 districts of the Valley, all major mosques in the state have been shut.
A mob gathered in Bandipora town after Eid prayers and resorted to violence against the deployed forces, police said. 25-year-old Murtaza died when the security personnel used smoke bombs and pellets to disperse the mob.
Mustafa Ahmed Mir, a 19-year-old, was killed on the spot after he was hit by a tear shell during clashes with security personnel in Bandipora.
A 24-year-old youth identified as Shahid Ahmed was killed in Shopian district when a mob attacked security forces after Eid prayers.
Clashes were also reported in Batamaloo, Kulgam, and Pattan in north Kashmir.
As the World Celebrates Eid, Kashmir Remains Tense
With mosques sealed, protests and curfew in the Valley, security forces have asked everybody to remain inside and not step out to offer prayers on Eid. Keeping the present situation in mind, both Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have not offered prayers on Eid.
The clashes, that began at around 8 am this morning, is still underway. Curfew imposed Tuesday is the strictest across Srinagar since curfew was first imposed in July this year.
Adequate security forces were already out on the streets, following apprehensions of violence by separatist elements.
Choppers and Drones Deployed
Choppers and drones have been prepared to be used for surveillance.
The decision to impose restrictions on assembly of large number of people has been taken in view of the call by separatists for a march to the local offices of the United Nations on Tuesday, official sources said.
An additional army brigade has also been deployed in South Kashmir to assist civil administration to maintain peace.
The government has already ordered shutdown of Internet services of all telecom networks and also mobile telephony except that of the state-run BSNL for the next 72 hours because of the tense law and order situation in the state.
Shutting Mosques Will Have Backlash: Omar Abdullah
Talking to The Indian Express, Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday responded to the curfew in the Valley, asserting that the decision to “close all major mosques and shrines in Kashmir on Eid” has “never happened in our history” and “will have a huge backlash”.
“People are saying that it is the rule of Jan Sangh and that’s why the doors of every major mosque and shrine have been locked by this government. People who had gone to offer prayers at Sayid sahib (shrine) in my neighbourhood were shocked to see it locked. People are very angry,” Abdullah told The Indian Express.
(With inputs from IANS, ANI and The Indian Express.)
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