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Two years since Article 370 abrogation: Shops closed in Srinagar; traffic hit
Traders in Lal Chowk said senior police officers were forcing them to open their establishments.“I saw policemen calling shopkeepers and even picking locks of closed business establishments,” claimed a resident on the condition of anonymity
There was a shutdown in Srinagar on Thursday on the second anniversary of the nullification of Article 370 which gave a special status to Jammu-Kashmir.
Shops were shut and businesses closed in many parts of the city while traffic movement was also partially affected. Only shops selling essentials such as medicines and vegetables were open.
Traders in Lal Chowk said senior police officers were forcing them to open their establishments.“I saw policemen calling shopkeepers and even picking locks of closed business establishments,” claimed a resident on the condition of anonymity.
Photojournalists alleged police were not allowing them to click their pictures or videos as they forced shopkeepers to open. Heavy security arrangements were made across the city as the forces established checkpoints at multiple places.
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Markets of Residency Road, Hari Singh High Street and Goni-Khan were also mostly closed. “Despite police coercion, I have not opened my shop. Article 370 was a safety net for J&K. Its revocation means we are vulnerable now,” said a trader of Jehangir Chowk. They said they have been getting calls from police for the past two days not to observe a shutdown on August 5.
Farhan Kitab, president of retailers association, said for the past two days, traders of the business hub have been approached by both the administration and the police.
“The administration told us that the shops from Lal Chowk to Poloview are on Nazool land and the traders have not renewed the legal formalities and are hence liable for legal action. Four of our shops were sealed on Wednesday,” he said.
He said police also held a meeting with them, asking them not to indulge in any “anti-national’ activity on August 5. “We are a trade body and if anybody goes on a strike, it is their personal choice. We can’t force anybody,” he said. “Some shops are open in the city centre,” he said.
A call to Srinagar senior superintendent of police Sandeep Chaudhary elicited no response.
President of Kashmir Chamber of Industries and Commerce, Sheikh Ashiq, told HT on Wednesday: “We are business people and we should not have been dragged into this.”
The special status of J&K under Article 370 was nullifed on August 5, 2019, by the Centre and the erstwhile state split into two Union Territories. For months, Kashmir saw curbs on movement of people as well as on communication while almost all prominent political leaders were detained to prevent mass protests.
