The Jammu and Kashmir government decided to gag the media in Srinagar as it called out the army to take control of law and order in the summer capital and other districts in the Valley on Wednesday.
In a move unprecedented in the past two decades, the Omar Abdullah regime cancelled curfew
passes issued to media persons, even preventing outdoor broadcast vans of TV news channels from dispatching reports.
The army was called in after the CRPF and police failed to quell a wave of protests in Kashmir over civilian deaths in firings from June 11. Army columns took control of Srinagar after more than 15 years.
Flag marches were conducted in other districts. The army poured into Srinagar’s streets staging a flag march to Srinagar airport and trouble spots Lal Chowk, Dal Gate, old Srinagar and Batmalloo, where three people died in firing on Tuesday.
Curfew was strictly imposed in several districts. Milk vans, vegetable vendors and even private vehicles of doctors weren’t allowed to ply. Only tourists and Amarnath pilgrims were allowed on the roads.
Locals and police officers told HT there were protest marches and sit-ins in some places. More than 12 separatist leaders continued to be behind bars. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the moderate Hurriyat, said in an online statement: “Unfortunately, the army has always been India’s first and last resort in handling Kashmir.”