School bus torched to enforce shutdown

A mob torched a school bus in Old City area today to enforce a shutdown called by hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani across the Kashmir Valley. No one was injured in the incident, police said.

A mob torched a school bus in Old City area on Saturday to enforce a shutdown called by hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani across the Kashmir Valley. No one was injured in the incident, police said.

HT Image

"The bus of a private school was stopped at Khwaja Bazaar in Old City area. The students and the driver were forced to get down and the bus was then torched by the miscreants," a police official said.

Following the incident, some private schools in uptown and downtown areas of Srinagar declared a holiday on Saturday. Students were sent back to their homes even though many had already reached their schools.

"The safety of children is our paramount concern and we have shut down the school today (Saturday) to ensure that no harm comes to our childern," said the principal of one of the prominent public schools in Srinagar.