Kashmir unrest: Toll rises; anger refuses to subside

The toll in the violent clashes between protestors and security forces has climbed to 33. Adil Ahmad Mattoo, a protestor who was injured in the firing incident at Bijbehara, succumbed to injuries at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar late Monday night. More than 550 persons including over 115 security force personnel have been injured in the clashes and militant attacks following killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Wani as the situation continued to be tense across the Valley.

A police post was set on fire in Romu of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. However, no injuries or casualties were reported from the attack. Earlier on Tuesday, the militants attacked a police party at Warpora area of Sopore town in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. 

Mobile Internet services across the Valley and train services remained suspended for the fourth day even as mobile telephony was partially restored in the four districts of south Kashmir.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a high-level meeting at his residence on Tuesday morning to review the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. According to sources, the prime minister was be given a detailed presentation.

With Kashmir on the edge, Home Minister Rajnath Singh has postponed his visit to the United States to attend the Indo-US Homeland Security Dialogue scheduled for next week. New dates have not been fixed but the trip now may take place sometime in September.

Restrictions on the movement of people in Srinagar and four districts of south Kashmir, which were imposed in the wake of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani and the ensuing deadly violence, remained in force on Tuesday as authorities braced for more protests.

The strike called by the separatist groups has also affected normal life in the Valley. The separatists, who are under house arrest, had on Monday extended the strike call till July 13 to coincide with the 85th anniversary of those who laid down their lives fighting the aristocratic rule in the state in 1931.

Educational institutions in the Valley were closed on account of the ongoing summer vacations, while Central University of Kashmir, Kashmir University, Islamic University of Science and Technology and Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education have postponed the examinations due to the prevailing situation.

Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh said that Pakistan is directly or indirectly sponsoring and promoting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. He further stated that Islamabad is playing significant role in breeding militancy in Kashmir.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has again called on the people of Jammu and Kashmir to cooperate with the state government to end the cycle of violence. She said the state government is taking various measures to restore calm and it needs support of the people in this endeavour. The chief minister also asked the police and the paramilitary forces to exercise maximum restrain to avoid loss of lives or grievous injuries.

In an unprecedented gesture to build support for its strategy, the government has briefed senior opposition leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Omar Abdullah and Sitaram Yechury to avoid public criticism from political opponents as Pakistan tries to aggravate the unrest in the 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley.

Tourists desperate to get out, are paying a high price. According to NDTV, at 4am this morning, the gates of the Srinagar airport were closed with hundreds of people waiting outside. Most of them have spent whole night right on the road. "We left at midnight and reached here around 2 am. We have a flight at 2:40 tomorrow. We can't wait here we are on the footpath, we had to book urgent flights. We just got tickets worth 20,000 per person," said one of the tourists, Ahana, who had been waiting at the airport.