A shutdown, protesting the killing of a 13-year-old boy last Sunday, paralysed life for the second successive day across Kashmir on Friday.
Heavy deployment of police and Central Reserve Police Force manning roads, lanes and traffic intersections disallowed all pedestrian and vehicular movement in old city areas of Srinagar, which in the last 5 days witnessed fierce clashes between security forces and protestors.
Violence had erupted on Sunday when 13-year-old schoolboy, Whamiq Farooq Wani was hit in the head by a tear gas shell. Whamiq succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
Obstructions have been raised in the old city areas using roadblocks and coils of razor fitted wire.
"Restrictions have been imposed in areas falling under the jurisdiction of five police stations in the city. The restrictions are purely precautionary and intended to protect public life and property," a senior police officer said.
All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Chairman Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq continues to be under house arrest.
State Director General of Police Kuldeep Khuda reviewed the overall law and order situation in Srinagar on Thursday at a meeting of senior police, intelligence, civil and paramilitary officers.
"Strict orders have been given to the security forces to exercise restraint while dealing with the law and order situation," the officer said.
Relatives of Whamiq maintain that the tear gas shell hit him while he was playing cricket in a nearby stadium in Rajouri Kadal. Even though the state government immediately suspended an assistant sub-inspector of police, who had fired the fatal tear smoke shell, public anger and violence over the incident has not abated in the city and other major towns of the Valley.
