Srinagar
Strict curfew and communication blackout continued in occupied Kashmir for a ninth day after a security lockdown since last Monday, when India’s Hindu-majority government rescinded years of autonomy and gave full control to New Delhi.
Officials eased restrictions earlier Sunday but imposed them again on Monday afternoon amid a tense atmosphere in the main city of Srinagar. The Indian troops had clamped tight restrictions on mosques across the valley for Eid-ul-Azha, fearing anti-government protests over the stripping of the region’s autonomy, according to residents.
Internet and phone communications have been cut and tens of thousands of troop reinforcements have flooded the main city of Srinagar and other towns and villages in the occupied valley.
Residents had been confined to their houses due to stringent restrictions amid all the communication links of the territory with the outside world snapped by the authorities.
Monday, which marked the first day of Eid-ul Azha, saw people not being able to offer Eid prayers and slaughter sacrificial animals.
Announcements were made on loudspeakers and people were warned not to come out of their houses. The Himalayan region’s biggest mosque, the Jama Masjid, was ordered shut and people were only allowed to pray in smaller local mosques so that no big crowds could gather.
Meanwhile, a Supreme Court justice said on Tuesday that Indian authorities need more time to restore order in Kashmir. The court is hearing an activist’s petition seeking to lift curbs on communications and movement that have disrupted normal life and essential services in the Himalayan region.
Menaka Guruswamy, a lawyer for the petitioner, said the court should move to restore hospital services and open schools.
“That is all I ask,” she told the Supreme Court in New Delhi. Justice Arun Mishra said the government wanted to bring Kashmir back to normal as soon as possible. “The situation is such that nobody knows what is going on. We should give them time to restore normalcy. Nobody can take one per cent of chance,” Mishra said. “Who will be responsible if something really bad happens tomorrow?”
The petition also seeks the release of detained political leaders in Kashmir, among more than 300 people held to prevent widespread protests. The court is expected to rule on the petition in a few days.
Attorney General K.K. Venugopal had told India’s Supreme Court security appeared to be getting better. “The situation in J&K is being reviewed every day and there are signs of improvement,” Venugopal said, as the court heard the plea against the lockdown.
Meanwhile, an Indian home ministry spokesperson said on Twitter that the restrictions “are being eased out in a phased manner” in the tinderbox Kashmir Valley. Normal communication in the more peaceful Jammu division of the region “has been restored after assessment by relevant local authorities”, the spokesperson added.— Reuters/AFP
