Srinagar, May 25: Amid complete shutdown, curfew continued in parts of Kashmir for a second day Saturday following killing of Zakir Musa, who headed an Al-Qaeda affiliated group here, in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district Friday.
Curbs on the movement of people were in force in parts of Srinagar, and Kulgam and Pulwama towns.
Schools and colleges remained shut, while mobile Internet continued to be suspended across the Valley. Trains on the Baramulla-Banihal line also remained off the tracks due to the situation, the officials said.
“Curfew continued to remain imposed in parts of the Kashmir valley today (Saturday) as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order,” they said.
In Srinagar, the officials said, “strict restrictions” were in place in Nowhatta, Rainawari, Khanyar, Safakadal and M R Gung police station areas, while “partial restrictions” were in force in Maisuma and Kralkhud areas.
The officials said police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in strength in other parts of the Valley to avoid any untoward incident.
Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Zakir Musa, the head of the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, was killed in the encounter at Dadsara village of Tral in the south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Friday after forces launched a search operation on late Thursday evening following specific information about the presence of militants there.
His killing led to spontaneous shutdown and protests in the Valley.
Meanwhile, most of the shops, fuel stations and other business establishments remained shut in the Valley due to a strike called by Hurriyat-G chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani against the killing of Musa and a civilian Zahoor Ahmad, a resident of Naira Pulwama – who was killed by unidentified gunmen on Thursday.
Public transport also remained off the roads, but few private cars and auto-rickshaws were seen plying while in uptown areas of Srinagar some street vendors had also put up their carts.
Meanwhile, clashes were also reported from some areas of Srinagar including in Batamaloo, which police used tear-gas shells to disperse the agitating mobs.
