Srinagar: Authorities on Monday lifted curfew after 52 days from the valley except at three places, police said. “Curfew has been lifted from all over the valley. It will, however, remain in force in Pulwama town and in the areas falling under the jurisdiction of Nowhatta and MR Gunj police stations in Srinagar,” a senior police officer told reporters.
The officer said that the restrictions under section 144 of the CrPc (criminal procedure code), prohibiting the assembly of five or more persons, will continue in the rest of the Valley. Till Sunday, the death toll in the ongoing unrest was 71, including 68 civilians and three policemen.
Authorities shifted senior separatist leader, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq to a tourist hut in the high security Cheshma Shahi area of Srinagar where he has been placed under detention.
A senior police officer said the hut was declared as a sub-jail under a notification by the state home department. The worst hit during the present cycle of violence has been education of children as schools have remained closed. Businesses have also taken a direct hit, suffering losses of over Rs 7,500 crore.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted in his “Mann Ki Baat” radio address on Sunday that Unity and Compassion are the two keys in dealing with the unrest in the Kashmir Valley. PM Modi said these two words invariably and persistently emerged during his interaction with different political parties who spoke in one voice on the issue.
“Whatever happened in Kashmir, all the political parties spoke in one voice. They gave a message to the world as well as to the separatists while conveying our sensitivities towards Kashmiris,” the PM added.
