SRINAGAR: The Army Sunday urged people not to march towards the headquarters of 15 Corps at Badamibagh in Srinagar on the call of separatists to protest the killing of seven civilians in an encounter in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Defence spokesman, Colonel Rajesh Kalia said that the call given by the separatists is an attempt to disturb the peace.
The separatists, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), which consists of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, had on Saturday asked the people to march to the headquarters on Monday. The call for the march came after seven civilians were killed and several others injured when security forces opened fire at an unruly mob that thronged the site of an encounter in south Kashmir's Pulwama district in which three terrorists and an army man were killed on Saturday.
Kalia said that the Army condemns the call by “Pak-proxies” and advises people not to fall prey to such designs of anti-national forces. He said the Army is always with the people of Kashmir and would foil all terrorism attempts.
“The public is once again advised not to pay heed to this misleading call by JRL,” he said.
The defence spokesman said security forces make every attempt to avoid loss of civilian lives in the crossfire and minimise collateral damage to property. “Loss of any civilian life is always painful for the security forces,” he said, adding the vested interests are continuously at work to instigate and mobilise gullible youth to encounter sites.
The objective of security forces, he said, is to bring peace and normalcy with the support of people.
An official said curbs would be placed in areas around the army headquarters at Badamibagh on Monday. “The restrictions will be placed on the movement of people… and maintain law and order,” he said.
Sources said restrictions are likely to be imposed in Sonawar, Dalgate, Shivpora, Batwara, Pandrethan, Athwajan and Pantha Chowk areas of Srinagar on Monday.
Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police (SP) Traffic Srinagar said traffic would not be allowed to ply on Pantha Chowk -Sonawar- Dalgate Road stretch and Gupkar Road stretch from Grand Place Crossing.