Traders of commercial hub Lal Chowk and adjoining areas downed their shutters for two hours here on Friday as a mark of protest against acid attack on a woman two days back.
Scores of shopkeepers took out a protest rally in the city centre, demanding stern punishment to the accused.
On Wednesday, a 30-year-old teacher was sprinkled with acid by a battery mechanic, Reyaz Ahmad Nath, who would stalk her for the past three years, family members of the victim alleged. The woman has received severe burn injuries on her face and is reportedly scheduled to visit Delhi's Apollo hospital for reconstructive surgery.
The incident has shocked the residents in the Muslim majority state, drawing condemnation from people cutting across party lines.
"Our concern is security and safety of our daughters," placards carried by the protesters in Lal Chowk read. "We demand stern and prompt action against the culprits".
Police have arrested Nath, the main accused, who owns a shop offering repair of car batteries, along with one of his accomplices. Why the accused threw acid at the woman was not immediately clear.
Crime against women, hardly reported earlier in Kashmir valley, has shown a marginal increase in the recent past. Four complaints of rape were lodged with police across the state in past two weeks.
{{/usCountry}}Crime against women, hardly reported earlier in Kashmir valley, has shown a marginal increase in the recent past. Four complaints of rape were lodged with police across the state in past two weeks.
{{/usCountry}}The state joined the rest of the countrymen to express outrage over the gang-rape of a Delhi girl, who died at a Singapore hospital last Saturday. Prompted by protests, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir took a lead over other states and started a review of its laws related to sexual offences.