Unrest in Kashmir: Curfew lifted at dawn, back by dusk

Police and paramilitary forces sealed all major roads with barbed wire in the evening. Restrictions were also reimposed in rural towns and people were asked to stay inside their homes.

The curfew was lifted in the morning from all parts of Kashmir except Pulwama district and two police station areas of the old city. There was a rush of private vehicles and auto rickshaws, though public transport stayed off the roads. Schools and colleges remained closed. Banks were open and witnessed a huge rush of customers.

“I came to my office after 52 days. Many private vehicles and auto rickshaws were plying for the first time since protests began in the Valley after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani,’’ said Saleem Ahmad, a government employee.

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“For the first time I saw movement of vehicles in the otherwise deserted city,’’ said Sheikh Yousin, a resident of Barbarshah. “Shops were shut in all parts of the city.”

However, normal life was hit as clashes broke out in parts of the city and the Kashmir valley. In parts of the old city, protesters pelted vehicles with stones and clashed with security forces. In Batamaloo, too, protesters clashed with the police. Protests and stone-pelting were reported from Sopore, Baramulla, Bandipore and Chadoora.

Police said the overall situation had been peaceful and under control.