Curfew reimposed in 3 areas of Kashmir Valley

As clashes and violence continued in Kashmir on Thursday, authorities reimposed curfew at three places in the Valley, while the government decided to withhold the salaries of the employees who don’t report for work.

A police official said curfew was reimposed in Nowhatta and M R Gunj police station areas in old city of Srinagar and north Kashmir’s Baramulla town after violence erupted.

The curfew had been lifted from most parts of the Valley on Monday after 51 days and was later lifted from all areas on Wednesday. However, after the killing of a youth in Baramulla on Wednesday, the curfew was reimposed in some areas.

Witnesses said Danish Haroon of Noorbagh in the old city of Srinagar drowned in the Jhelum river when he was being chased away by security forces during protests in the area. “The teargas shelling scared him and he fell into the Jhelum from a small bridge and drowned,” they said.

The incident triggered massive protests in the area and its adjoining localities. Protests continued till late in the evening.About 20 people were injured in clashes that erupted in Mazhama and Kanihama villages of central Kashmir’s Budgam district. People said that forces smashed window panes and ransacked residential houses in the villages.

In a



similar incident, at least 10 people were injured after security forces fired pellets and used teargas shells to foil rallies in Anantnag and Kulgam districts.

“Three stone-pelting incidents were reported from Srinagar and Kupwara, and one each from Anantnag, Shopian, Ganderbal, Budgam and Sopore,” a police spokesman said. He added that miscreants took to streets and tried to disrupt traffic and movement of people by pelting stones on vehicles and on security forces.

The spokesman said inter-district and inner-city traffic movement continued throughout the Valley.

Meanwhile, while reviewing the attendance of employees in government offices, Chief Secretary B R Sharma expressed concern about some employees’ irregular attendance. He directed the administrative secretaries and heads of departments to ensure attendance of all the employees in their respective departments and subordinate offices without fail.

“It was directed that from September 2016, salary of the employees who remain on unauthorised absence from duty shall not be released and action under rules be initiated against them,” an official spokesman said.

The chief secretary, however, directed the release of salary of all the government employees for August in view of the ensuing Eid-ul-Zuha.