SRINAGAR: A day after two persons including a 22-year-old girl were killing in alleged firing by security forces, normal life in Valley was on Monday paralysed by the shutdown called by separatists and curfew-like restrictions imposed by authorities.
Authorities have ordered magisterial probe into the civilian killings.
A police official said curfew-like restrictions were imposed in Kakapora, Pulwama and parts of the South Kashmir district today.
The restrictions, he said, were imposed to prevent people from staging demonstrations against killing of two persons --- 19-year-old Danish Farooq Mir and 22-year-old girl Shaista Hameed– in alleged firing by security forces in Kakapora, Pulwama yesterday. Over a dozen protestors also sustained injuries in the security forces firing.
Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in strength in the sensitive areas of Pulwama district to maintain law and order. The cops had also placed barricades and concertina wires on the roads to prevent people from taking to roads and staging protest demonstrations.
The police official said restrictions were also enforced in areas falling under six police stations in Srinagar -- Khanyar, Rainawari, Nowhatta, M R Gunj, Safakadal and Maisuma.
He said the security restrictions were also imposed in other sensitive areas of the Valley.
Shops and other business establishments in Srinagar and other parts of the Valley remained closed and traffic was off the roads in response to the strike called by the separatists. The work in government offices and banks was affected.
All the top separatist leaders including hardliner Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mohammad Yasin Malik and Shabir Shah had called for Valley-wide shutdown today to protest against the civilian killings in security forces firing.
In view of the strike called by the separatists, authorities had placed most of the separatist leaders Mirwaiz and Shabir Shah under house arrest.
Defying restrictions, youth in downtown Srinagar and some other parts of Valley took to roads and staged protest demonstrations. Chanting pro-freedom and anti-India slogans, the protestors clashed with police and paramilitary personnel, who fired tear smoke shells and resorted to baton charge to disperse them. The clashes continued for some time.
Deputy Commissioner Pulwama has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the killings and directed Additional District Magistrate to complete the probe within the stipulated time frame.
A Raj Bhavan spokesperson said Governor N N Vohra has sought detailed report from DGP on the Pulwama incident.
He has directed that the magisterial inquiry by Additional District Magistrate must be completed within the time frame.