Violence in Srinagar over alleged custodial deaths

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

Security forces arrested top leaders of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference who sat on a hunger strike against the alleged custodial deaths of four leaders of the separatist Hizbul Mujaheedin on Thursday.

Life in Srinagar and other towns remained paralysed for the fifth day because of a bandh declared by militants. Despite massive deployment of troops and police, Srinagar was rocked by violence on Thursday, with people shouting religious and pro-freedom slogans in the morning. Security forces fired warning shots and teargas shells to break up mobs that threw stones at passing vehicles.

The authorities beefed up security further in the afternoon but the police continued to get reports of violence from Srinagar and other towns. The city wore a deserted look and only troops and police commandos in vehicles patrolled the streets. All government offices, banks, educational institutions, semi-government offices remained closed on Thursday.

The situation was reviewed at a high-level meeting, presided over by the governor’s security advisor Lieutenant General J S Dhillon at the Unified Command headquarters. Sources said security arrangements are being further tightened to deal with any trouble that may erupt after the Friday prayers.

Senior Kashmir leaders and executive members of the APHC, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani of the Jamaat-e- Islami, Yasin Malik of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and Abdul Ghani Lone of the People’s Conference were arrested at Abiguzar in Srinagar where they sat on a hunger strike on Thursday morning before a shop from where they said the four Hizbul leaders were arrested and later killed in custody.

The APHC leaders carried placards which said, 'Stop custodial killings'.

"Our aim is to focus the attention of the world community towards the happenings in Kashmir. We will continue our struggle till we achieve our goal of right to self-determination," Geelani said.